2021 03 Food Bank & PHF Award
Chrissie & Mike Abbott update us on The Food Bank and are awarded a PHF for their efforts
Local Hero’s duly recognised for exceptional Community service
On Monday 8th March Rotary held a Zoom Question and Answer session with the duo Mike & Chrissie Abbott who set up the Midhurst Foodbank in late 2014. They started with 35 volunteers and supported 119 families their first 12 months, 6 years later with 77 volunteers they supported 710 families in a 12 month period. Trussell Trust was set up in 2000, the first Foodbank being in Salisbury and 20 years later they now have more than 1200 Foodbanks operating nationwide. Midhurst is an offshoot of Chichester, who also operate both Selsey and Petworth.
Mike & Chrissie explained that you can donate food at many places locally including Sainsbury’s, Tescos, Marks & Spencer and Boots. The Covid Pandemic has changed the way the Foodbank operates, there are now no Friday morning collections, arrangements are all carried out by phone and all family donations have to be delivered directly to the family.
2017 saw the first Schools lunch parcels being delivered to families who ‘s children received free school meals. In the first year this saw 75 children being supported with enough food to make a week’s lunches. At Christmas 2020 this had rocketed up to around 170 food parcels and the same numbers will be supplied very soon for the Easter holidays as well.
Mike & Chrissie handed over the management role to another duo Liz Willings and Karen Lovett in late 2019 but needless to say they are still actively involved as Chrissie runs one of the weekly teams who take donation requests and organise the teams to deliver them.
At the end of the Q & A session Rotary President Rangesh surprised them both by awarding them a Paul Harris Fellowship - this Rotary award recognises exceptional service to the local community. Mike & Chrissie are certainly local heroes to all the needy families that have been supported since they launched Midhurst Foodbank and deserve to be recognised!!!
John Barrett
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2020-21 News from M&P
back Rangesh Nallan takes over Presidency from Peter Nightingale and Gill Nightingale takes over from Sian Mitchell