Swindon Food Collective explores partnership with community hubs for expanded aid
Council's support aims to enhance coordination among crisis intervention initiatives
Swindon Food Collective, the organization behind the borough’s food bank, may soon expand its outreach by partnering with Swindon Borough Council’s community hubs. The possibility arose during a tour of the collective’s West Swindon warehouse by Councillor Jim Grant, where operations manager Kirstie Hacker highlighted ongoing challenges in meeting demand.
Despite distributing 90,000 meals last year, the charity faces persistent demand exceeding supply, and Hacker emphasized the potential for reaching more individuals unaware of the food bank’s assistance program.
Councillor Grant acknowledged the potential for wider support through Swindon Borough Council’s £8.3m Critical Resilience Fund, suggesting increased coordination among crisis intervention groups such as Citizens Advice and Big Breakfast:
“It’s about helping the individuals,” Cllr Grant noted.
Grant proposed integrating food bank distribution into four new community hubs being established, a concept met with enthusiasm by Hacker:
“We’d love to be able to have a distribution centre there, or maybe two hours a week.”
The collective is set to increase the permissible number of referrals per person and will soon open a new distribution center at The Foyer building in Old Town. It currently supplies essential care packages to individuals released from prison without resources and offers the Feeding Little Bellies scheme for children during school holidays.
Hacker highlighted the council's invaluable support in bridging shortfalls, noting the importance of such partnerships in delivering critical aid:
“The grant from the council is hugely helpful in bridging that gap.”
Cllr Grant paid tribute to the collective’s efforts, emphasizing the ongoing necessity and council backing:
“This is hugely impressive and vitally important work. I’d like us to get to a point where a food bank is not necessary, but while it is, I’m glad the council is supporting it.”
The proposal for use of community hubs reflects a continuous commitment to improving crisis aid networks throughout Swindon, ensuring more efficient resource allocation and assistance to those in need.