-
- Meal portions being prepared
-
- Food parcels ready to go
-
- Packed lunch bags
-
- The foodbank larder
On Saturday 4th July I visited an unassuming church in the middle of a housing estate. This is the epicentre for providing meals to the hotels that house the homeless during this pandemic.
It is a well-organised operation, where everybody has their own job to do.
The work is carried out by staff from Reach Out to the Community and the Church of the Apostles, with around 18 volunteers, including professional chefs that have been furloughed from their day jobs. All the volunteers are giving up their own time to provide this vital service.
As you walk in to the main hall you see all food parcels that have been made up.
Food parcels are provided each day for up to 30 people in need.
Also in the main hall there’s crates of fresh bread and other food that has just been donated.
You also see the tables set out where the sandwiches are being made fresh daily for all the hotels.
The sandwiches have a use-by date on them and the contents of the sandwiches for example cheese sandwiches, chicken or ham and also vegan & vegetarian options.
In another room volunteers makeup all the snack / breakfast packs for those in hotels.
Each pack is in its own individual carrier bag so each person in the hotel gets their own carrier bag of breakfast / snack packs.
As you cross the main hall into another room there is the store room, where all the food for the foodbank is stored. It is well organised and stocked, just like supermarket shelves.
The food is donated by supporters of Reach Out to the Community and other kind people.
Reverend Ellie also gets food from Fairshare.
The bread, crumpets and muffins come from Warburtons and Martin’s bakery.
Meal portions being prepared
The kitchen is a full-on professional kitchen and is where the professional chiefs cook meals each day so all the residents at the hotels can have fresh meals each day.
These can be from breakfast to a roast chicken dinner etc.
As each meal is prepared, food is temperature-checked to ensure it’s been chilled and cooked to the correct temperature.
All this happens 7 days a week at the Church of the Apostles in Miles Platting.
If anyone is interested in donating breakfast bars cereal bars and snack packs please get in touch thank you.
Niall Love
