In this edition we talk to... JULIET SANDERS CEO and founder of food poverty charity, Feeding Families.
Why was the charity founded?
I suppose, like most charities, it was the cry of the heart to a need. On meeting a family in desperate poverty, my husband and I reached out to help by giving them food. It seemed a natural response that anyone would have done if they had the means. Little did we think that one small act would have such big implications! This happened around Christmas time and the following year a friend said they would like to help someone as well. Before I knew it, the idea of one family helping another snowballed into our Christmas project with over 700 families helped in 2017. That figure rose to over 9000 last year and 2022? Who knows? The underlying ethos is that we are all a community and we should help each other as if we were a family. Although we are a food charity, we are not a food bank. As we have expanded we have seen there are gaps in provision so we focus on the people that have difficulty accessing food banks. We provide our food boxes in bulk to charities, schools and organisations who distribute to those most in need.
Which area do you cover?
We cover the whole of the north east from Berwick to Saltburn – basically the four counties – Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, Co Durham and Cleveland. We have bases in Blaydon and Fishburn that we distribute from so we can reach across the region.
What type of fundraising events do you have?
We were only beginning to push our fundraising strategy at the start of Covid and then, like so many others, we were derailed.
Our supporters run all sorts of events for us such as sponsored runs, head shaves, plant sales, swims, walks – anything they can think of. Because we are still a relatively new charity we are still getting this off the ground but hope there will be many more exciting things coming soon.
How did you adapt during the Coronavirus pandemic?
We were very much still a Christmas-focused charity when the pandemic hit. Very quickly we realised we needed to make a response to what was happening and this was the start of our emergency boxes. These were packed and distributed both individually and in bulk to charities. It was a great opportunity to work out a model that was different to everyone else and this is what we have carried forwards.
During this period we also piloted our “Welcome Home” boxes. One of our volunteers saw an opportunity to help patients being discharged from hospital to an empty house. Our boxes contain no and low cook food – perfect if you have been unwell. These have been so successful in the NHS that we are getting requests from other charities. Sadly demand has also risen due to the price of fuel and the worry people have about cooking.
What have been your proudest moments so far?
Although it’s not an isolated single moment, I am most proud of the way and the speed the charity has grown. It’s been amazing to see people “get it” and come on board. Whether that’s trustees, staff or volunteers, it’s an army of people, all doing what they can and making a big difference. Sometimes I stand in the middle of it all and can’t believe what’s happening. Last year we engaged over 3000 volunteers, impacted 44,000 people and delivered 161,000 meals. This year will be much bigger.
On a personal level, finding out I have been selected as Women of the Year Community Champion was astonishing. That anyone knew I existed was the first surprise. Winning a national award was the second. While I’m actually quite awkward at being singled out, to me, I feel I am accepting on behalf of everyone else who actually IS Feeding Families.
Who are your main trustees and patrons?
Our Chair since March 2022 is Emma Jarvis. Emma has a strong business background and she is supported by Jon Regan who supports with IT issues, Alex Wilby, a lawyer, David Jackson, who began as my business mentor and has progressed onto the team, Tony Byrne, an ex NHS director and Brian Palmer who is MD of Cello Electronics, who is our treasurer. We have some great skills around the table to lead us forward. Carol Malia of Look North is our patron. In the very first year, Carol somehow heard what we were doing and organised a food collection at the BBC. When she turned up later on to do some filming, I took the opportunity to ask if she would be our patron and fortunately she didn’t hesitate!
What are you currently working on?
We have a youth project in schools which educates on food poverty but also empowers children to come up with their own suggestions and solutions. This could be a fundraising event to raise money, a food collection or a campaign to spread kindness. The idea is that we can all do something and just because it’s small shouldn’t stop us. It’s great to see this idea catching fire and children getting so enthusiastic. It’s never too young to begin.
And of course, there’s Christmas! We are already planning and bulk buying in readiness for our 14 days of packing in December. We are also busy registering people who need a Christmas hamper and will be looking for donors in November to match to one of these families and buy and deliver their Christmas dinner. On the first day we opened we had 1000 applications so it will be a busy year.
What does the future hold?
I wish I knew. Every time we make a prediction we seem to exceed it in record time. I think in the next year we will be pushed very hard to supply many more boxes week on week. At the same time we have seen donations go down and food prices go up and there are times we stand in the packing centre and wonder how we will do it, but somehow we always do. We don’t get given much food these days so 90% of it is currently bought with the money we fundraise.
What I’d like to see the future hold is to vacate the building and all move on to other things because food poverty was a thing of the past. Sadly I can’t see that happening any time soon.