I have had the privilege of working as a Mission Strengthener in the Food+ team since February 2018. During that time, I have worked across our network of 6 Foodbank+ venues, which partner with churches across the city. I love that the Foodbank+ gives the opportunity to show practical love and care for people during times of crisis and struggle. Our team welcomes people, processes their referrals from the council and other partner agencies, and builds relationships.
At the beginning of our morning, we meet to set up practically. We receive food orders and donations and prepare to welcome people into the building. Then we gather as a team to connect and pray together over our morning ahead. It is wonderful how often prayer is directly answered during the morning. Recently I prayed for there to be space for the Spirit to move and that morning a couple of people we met received prayer and felt a touch from God. It is such an important marker in our life as a team that we pause to seek God’s strength, compassion and equipping for the task ahead.
When we open the Foodbank+, we seek to meet the needs of each family and individual that walks through our doors.
Many of our food team leaders do a huge amount of work behind the scenes to meet guests’ specific dietary needs. For example, our teams often use money donated to buy halal meat for families who only eat halal food. This is a beautiful expression of the value we give to everyone in offering them the kinds of food they would be able to eat and enjoy.
Our team seeks to maintain a model that both practically and relationally keeps an atmosphere of peace, fairness and person-centred care which are all crucial parts of our witness as Christians. I love seeing all the different volunteers with their gifts and skills coming alongside guests at the Foodbank+ in various ways, offering coffee, a chat, a prayer or going through a food list in a patient and kind manner.
Every person who comes to a Foodbank+ is a unique person who has inherent dignity and worth.
We believe this is true no matter the situation they are in, or the decisions made that have brought them to the Foodbank+. They are deeply loved by God and He desires that they know his love.
I think of the single parent struggling to juggle work and childcare without family or many friends. I know of several homeless families who have had to live in unsuitable temporary accommodation placed on the very edge of the city in run-down hotels. They often have poor cooking facilities, if any, and are far from any access to support. Recently I have been able to use the baby bank at St Paul’s and St George’s Church to help a single parent living on the edge of town get a working buggy for her 2-year-old.
I also speak with many people who have suffered childhood trauma and who haven’t been protected or cared for in the way they should have been. This has led to lack of opportunities, health issues and mental health breakdown, as well as addiction issues. Many people come to Foodbank+ carrying grief from losses of various kinds – from job loss to the death of family members or friends. One couple I spoke to recently said that they lost a friend suddenly to complex health issues and drug use. They explained their complex feelings about losing a dear friend and how it has impacted their life. I was able to empathise with losing a friend, and comfort them in their loss as I prayed with them.
I am grateful that we have a God who brings light to the deepest darkness and brings hope where no hope exists.
Through these conversations, we can also encourage people towards organisations that are trained and able to support them to work through trauma and pain and to help them tackle the issues that bring them to Foodbank+. These include Christians Against Poverty, Right There housing support, Junction 42, Bethany Christian Trust and many other wonderful organisations.
Charity Pritchard, Mission Strengthener (Food+ Team)
Foodbank+ is the Edinburgh City Mission network of food banks, located across 6 sites. We provide essentials for those experiencing deprivation and food poverty, on a referral basis.