Led by volunteer Suzanne, 72, food parcels are tailored to meet the needs of the client, many of whom will not have their own cooking facilities or may have just been discharged from hospital with bare cupboards at home.
And it’s not just food; hygiene poverty is a huge issue so they will give out toiletries and sanitary products, as well as pet food and small electrical items.
The food bank works hand in hand with the on-site charity shop, also run by volunteers, which provides goods for sale, but has also become a community hub where people can access further support – including from the food bank.
To mark Volunteers’ Week, The Salvation Army is saying thank you to the people who give up their time to collect, sort and give out donations that help give the city’s most vulnerable people get some respite.
Describing some of the scenarios Suzanne has come across in her 12 years of running the food bank from The Salvation Army’s Leeds West Hunslet church, she said: “Some people are working three or four jobs, and they are still coming to us for food. This has been getting worse over the last few years, and I can’t see it improving.
“Living pay cheque to pay cheque anything can tip you over the edge. It could be something like a breakdown, a big electricity bill, all three kids need a pair of shoes at the same time, you have a car that fails its MOT and you need the car because you’ve got a child with disabilities and you need to be mobile for them, but you’ve also got feed that child and other children.
“We see a lot of older people, who might be lonely, or poor health has caused them to retire early. Social services will call to say they’ve had someone released from hospital, they’re alcohol dependent, there’s nothing left in the house so in that case we’re trying to find warm clean clothing and food they can digest.
“We see people who are living in tents, so sometimes they might have a butane stove, but often they have no facilities. The same with people who are staying in bedsits or B&Bs, they get a kettle if they are lucky. A gent came in this week, and he’d just been released from prison, he said where he was staying, the facilities were on par with those in prison.
“People do not want to be here, they are visibly upset and distressed, they apologise and say, ‘I don’t want to be any trouble’. To come through that door and ask, it takes a lot.”
Suzanne estimates they support around 1,400 to 1,500 people a year from the food bank, which runs Monday to Thursday in Hunslet Hall Road. She sees the importance of tailoring parcels so that people without cooking facilities or with certain dietary requirements are catered for.
The Salvation Army restores small electrical items like televisions, slow cookers, hairdryers and microwaves for people to use in bedsits or for families that don’t have the funds to replace products.
Then there is the pet food bank. “We always feed the pets,” Suzanne said, “People donate it to us so there’s no point in it sitting and not being used. I have a dog walker contact who will pass on donations of things like dog leads and dog beds too, they don’t stay around for long.
“Hygiene poverty is a massive thing so in our charity shop, we also have a basket with sanitary products, shower gels, shampoos. I also have a box which has little treats, make up, hand creams, little bits for chaps.”
What is it that motivates Suzanne and her team to do this to help others?
She said: “It’s just something that needs doing. It’s a need to feed and I’m one of nature’s givers. It’s a blessing to work with The Salvation Army doing this.
“There are sad things you wish you could change, but you also can make a difference. One client I helped convince their children, two very bright kids, to go back to school, so that’s a nice outcome.
“People trust The Salvation Army. They trust I will do my best for them without judgement. They sit in a chair and pour their hearts out because they know it’s safe to do so and it will go no further, I give them food, I listen, if I can offer advice I will or I’ll find someone else to help.”
The food bank can only operate thanks to a network of community support that Suzanne has nurtured over years.
Places like DePuy, Pets at Home, Hamara Healthy Living, Morrisons, CostCo, and private individuals have all donated products, money or vouchers. Local primary school St Luke’s will host fundraisers and donate their Harvest festival collections.
Suzanne continued: “I’m so thankful to the partners we work with, who have got the confidence in us to keep it going.
“The community really help us. We have one gent who The Salvation Army helped previously who buys fresh chickens for us every Christmas. Another chap we helped was starting a new job and wanted to put a donation in.”
The food bank compliments the work of the charity shop, which is open Monday to Thursday 9.15am to 1pm.
Suzanne added: “If someone comes in with a letter or referral and are desperate for clothing or shoes, or they’re in a property with no cups or pans, I’ll take them through to the charity shop and we see what we can do. That’s what we’re here for, that’s community.”
Major Cliff Allchin, who leads West Hunslet Salvation Army, said: “What our team of volunteers have achieved through the food bank and the charity shop is astonishing. Nothing is too much trouble for them, and they have had remarkable success in helping to lift the most vulnerable out of some appalling situations. We couldn’t do it without our volunteers so thank you to each and every one of them.”
Leeds West Hunslet Salvation Army hosts Sunday worship and runs a lunch club on a Tuesday. The food bank runs Monday to Thursday and is via referral. For more information visit https://www.salvationarmy.org.uk/leeds-west-hunslet