The well publicised difficulties that many families and individuals are experiencing at this time of pandemic is a source of much sadness. The situation is equally true in the South and East of Birmingham where Narthex operates. Demand for the Foodbank and also our Money Advice service has been very significant and shows no sign of abating but rather is expected to continue to grow.
How does this bring anyone joy, maybe relief perhaps? For the team at Narthex, we have been overwhelmed by the generosity of both food donors and financial donors who have turned round a very difficult situation. The new enlarged space at the Foodbank which, when we moved there in 2017, looked cavernous, is now fully utilised. Food is stacked on commercial shelving and a forklift truck is used to make best use of the space. Because of Covid local people have been wonderfully generous and donated large amounts of food. The existing space was so fully taken up that an additional 1000 sq ft of space was taken in December 2020. This also enabled proper stock rotation to be put in place with the help of the forklift truck.
Greatly increased demand is being well supported by generous donations; as fast as we use the food it is replenished by generous donors. Business growth is usually a reason for rejoicing but this is growth that we would rather not need to have!