The Yarmouth & Magdalen Foodbank launched on Thursday 10 March with an official opening at The Pathway Cafe attended by The Mayor and Mayoress of Great Yarmouth, Cllr and Mrs Adrian Thompson.
The new foodbank will operate out of two centres. A new centre at The Pathway Cafe in Admiralty Road, Great Yarmouth and at St Mary Magdalene Church, Magdalen Square in Gorleston, where the existing foodbank is joining the new partnership.
After he had cut a ribbon to officially open the foodbank, Cllr Adrian Thompson, Mayor of Great Yarmouth, commented, “In an ideal world, foodbanks wouldn’t be here but we don’t live in a perfect world and its clear that this foodbank will serve an important purpose, as foodbanks across the borough already do. It’s amazing to see the generosity of local people who support foodbanks – and at the moment the way they are supporting Ukraine too.”
The Yarmouth and Magdalen Foodbank will serve Great Yarmouth town and the Magdalen estate in Gorleston, two of the most deprived parishes in Norfolk. The foodbank will operate on a referral basis with the centre at Pathway Cafe open between 10am and 12 noon on Thursdays and the Magdalen centre open between 9.30am and 11.30am on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
The Revd Canon Simon Ward, Rector of Great Yarmouth said: “Great Yarmouth Pathway has been serving those in need for several years and we are really pleased to see that offer of support growing in the form of Yarmouth & Magdalen Foodbank. Current times are hard for everyone and it is important that help is there for people at a moment of crisis where putting food on the table just isn’t possible. We are enormously grateful to all those whose generosity has brought this work to fruition. It’s been really pleasing to share this partnership between Pathway in the Parish of Great Yarmouth and St Mary Magdalene as together we respond to God’s call to serve others”
The Revd Matthew Price, Vicar of St Mary Magdalene Church in Gorleston, added: “Since the beginning of the pandemic, our foodbank provision has grown significantly. This new partnership with Great Yarmouth Pathway and The Trussell Trust will put our provision onto a long-term sustainable footing, benefitting from the significant wisdom and know-how that Trussell Trust have, supporting a network of 1200 foodbanks across the UK. As the cost of living rises, we are already seeing usage rise, but we remain committed to Trussell Trust’s new vision for a UK without the need for foodbanks. We believe that their strategic support will help us work toward that end for this area.”
Donations of food for the foodbank can be made at either centre during opening hours.