Member Article

Stratford-upon-Avon Foodbank moves into new home with thanks to law firm

A Stratford foodbank offering vital support to people in crisis has completed its move to a new permanent home in the town centre.

Stratford-upon-Avon Foodbank opened its offices and distribution centre at the newly-established Fred Winter Centre on Guild Street this month.

Leamington law firm Wright Hassall donated their services pro-bono to negotiate a three-year lease, helping to secure their long-term future having previously been based in temporary portacabins on the Birmingham Road Tesco car-park.

Zoe Ballinger, foodbank operations manager, said: “This is fantastic news for us and we are incredibly thankful to Wright Hassall for helping with the move and lending their services for free.

“Our previous site was not big enough and we had to store food and supplies in four or five different warehouses across the district, which came with additional costs.

“Now we have a home for the next three years with everything in one place, in a building which will provide multi-agency support for the most vulnerable people in Stratford.”

The Fred Winter Centre is a new community hub which brings together a range of organisations to help to address homelessness and hardship, as well as providing affordable accommodation for people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.

Stratford-upon-Avon Foodbank currently helps more than 200 people a month, but is expecting to see demand increase in the coming months due to a rise in fuel and food prices.

Wright Hassall’s Kezia Morgan, who helped negotiate the lease for the foodbank, added: “Unfortunately the foodbank has had to contend with a lot of pressure through increased demand.

“Their previous home was not suitable for what they needed so we’re really happy to have helped secure a premises which will allow them to operate more efficiently, reach more people in need, and provide what will hopefully be a long-term home for many years to come.”

Nick Barter, chairman of the foodbank, added: “We are very happy to have moved into the Fred Winter Centre and want to thank the Fred Winter Centre Partnership and Wright Hassall for helping to make this possible.

“This new central site will make it much easier for people to access our services and for those who wish to donate food and supplies.”

The foodbank is currently looking for cash donations or a sponsor to provide strong bags to distribute food parcels.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Matt Joyce .