Demand for Cork food bank continues to rise

SINCE 2017, Feed Cork has supported individuals and families in Cork, opening its food hall every Wednesday and Thursday at the lower end of Oliver Plunkett Street.

The charity provides a three to four day supply of nutritious food to battle food poverty in the city, helping people who might otherwise go under the radar. Their Feed Cork Café also offers a space for community, for families to come together and socialise.

According to data from the Department of Social Protections, 10% of Ireland’s population suffers from food poverty. As Feed Cork points out, Cork is no different.

Volunteer coordinator Sharon Mullins says the work they do comes from the heart and from an understanding that anyone can end up needing the help of others.

“At the end of the day, if you’re not kind, if you don’t show kindness to others, then really what is the point?” she says, standing in the kitchen of Feed Cork on a grey Wednesday afternoon.

Mullins has been involved with the charity for five years now. She was asked by its director and founder Pastor Hamp Sirmans to volunteer as part of a Christian outreach programme. The church facilitates their work by providing the space for the food hall at the back of Connolly Hall.

“Our work helps people to remain in their homes. Thankfully, there are wonderful people helping the homeless population in Cork – people like Catriona Twomey and Penny Dinners. We saw a gap as there are also plenty of people in homes who are struggling. We don’t want them to slip any further into poverty.

“We are the only food bank in Cork, where people can come and get the food they need to cook and prepare in their houses.”

The charity has seen a huge increase in demand over the years. In 2017, they prepared just five baskets – they now have a far greater reach.

“In January, 2022, we had 1137 families and individuals registered to use our service. In January, 2023, we have 2153 families and individuals registered to use our service. As you can see, that’s a massive jump,” says Mullins.

With no government funding, volunteers rely on donations from local businesses. The charity is looking for help for one specific programme, After School Fuel. This programme is for the families of school-aged children. Home school liaisons in 13 DEIS schools in Cork identify families in need and the programme supplies them with food prepared by Brook Foods for the weekend, every week of the year. The coordinator Emma Byrd works tirelessly to provide families with support, but Mullins feels it needs to be a paid role.

“Emma was a beautician. She changed her career completely by going back to UCC to study Youth and Community. She’s trained and educated in the area so it would be wonderful to offer her a wage for the work she’s doing.

“We have two vans and one of them is a chill van. We are partnered with Brook Foods who help us hugely.

“We have very high standards, and we are all HACCP trained. We don’t want to distribute anything we wouldn’t be happy with ourselves. People are having a hard enough time. They deserve good food, served well.”

Mullins points out that the charity is a supportive space for its volunteers and many of them end up returning to education, encouraged by one another. Rachel Busby Murray is another volunteer who returned to education and is pivotal in encouraging others to do the same.

“Rachel has encouraged two other core team members to return to UCC. I also went back to education at the age of 36. At Feed Cork, we realise that education can change your life. We help our volunteers grow within themselves just as much as we care for our clients.”

And care for their clients they certainly do. The charity has also teamed up with the Department of Social Protection to provide school packs for children in recent years. Three different packs are provided for the younger and older years in primary and another for secondary. As with food, Mullins says the stationary packs are in increasing demand.

“In the first year we distributed 600 packs. We gave out 1,500 the second year and 3,500 the next. Going back to school is often very costly.”

The charity knows exactly where their food and produce goes as everything is recorded. The food is given out by appointment, but they never leave anyone wanting. They simply ask for identification and slot them into one of five streams based on need. The only requirement is that they must be in a house. The information is confidential, but they keep everything logged and recorded.

“People take what they need and that is it. I often hear someone saying, ‘Oh I’ll leave that for a family’ – that sort of thing.

“You do hear people questioning whether some need the help. During Covid we had a drive thru and I remember someone commenting on the size of someone’s car. But maybe they needed it to travel from the country? You never know what is going on for people behind their front door. Who are we to judge? And if someone complains about, it I tell them it’s just food. Not to worry themselves.”

Mullins found her volunteering work tough to begin with. She recalls crying every week, wanting to fix it all, alleviate people’s suffering. She realises now she can’t do that. She focuses on helping the people she can help, believing that making a difference to one person a day is worth something.

“I have two children myself. Thankfully, they have good jobs, but they also have high rents in Dublin and London. It’s so hard for people these days, especially for parents who also have to work. It’s also hard for people to come in here for help so we try to make it as welcoming as possible. We try to take the stigma away.”

Feed Cork is set up as a food hall. Clients don’t get pre-prepared hampers; they shop as everyone else shops. It opens on Wednesday and Thursday mornings, but volunteers work all week, handling food donations and preparing it for when clients come in.

“The only difference is that money doesn’t change hands. There is also a café serving tea and coffee and cakes to keep the atmosphere relaxed and hospitable.

“I had one woman come in today who was very upset. She was mortified to be here. I explained to her that so many of us are only a few bad cheques away from the same situation. I asked her if she’d help me if I was in need. She said she would. That’s all that matters, I said. Next time she comes in she’ll know my name and we’ll have a coffee. It’s very important to us that people feel comfortable here, that there’s no shame whatsoever.”

Sharon Mullins’s only wish is that they might reach more people in need. She hopes someone comes forward to partner Feed Cork in their After School Fuel programme soon. She is already grateful for the support they receive from Marks & Spencer, Tesco, Lidl, Aldi and the public.

“This work is just in your heart,” says Sharon.

“You just put yourself in their shoes. That’s it.”

For more about Feed Cork, see https://www.feedcork.com/

To donate, see: https://www.idonate.ie/donation_widget/register-donor-anonymous.php?pid=5705