Each table in Zoe’s classroom was given a list of foods suitable to bring, which included tinned fruit, soup, meat, vegetables, fish, rice pudding and sponge puddings, as well as dry foods such as pasta, biscuits, and breakfast cereals.
Zoe also put a link to the food bank on the sociology page
on NULC’s intranet site, to give students additional information on food banks.
Zoe’s initiative came from ties to the subject she teaches.
In sociology a large part of the topic looks at poverty and families in
different groups in society who may not be as well off.
Zoe said, “It’s a chance to do something and know it’s
helping, rather than just handing over money.” And this is a chance that a lot of
sociology students took on board. On the first day of food collection there
were already seven bags full of food in the classroom. One first year student
and her mum planned a week’s worth of meals and then bought it all for the food
bank.
On Thursday 18th December all the food collected was
taken to learner services, and from there to the food bank in Silverdale, where
it is sorted and stored by volunteers into type and best before date. The food
was then distributed over Christmas and the New Year because, as Zoe explained:
“it’s a bleak time when people are most down.”
People are identified by care professionals, such as doctors,
to decide if they are in crisis, and, if they are, they are issued with a food
bank voucher. This voucher can be exchanged for three days’ worth of emergency
food, which has been designed by dieticians to provide nutritionally balanced
food.
However this is just a temporary solution and people in need
are directed to agencies by the volunteers at the food bank, who can help to
solve any long term problems.
Article written by Samantha Moulton
To find out more about studying an A-Levels at NULC contact the Information Point on 01782 254254 or email info@nulc.ac.uk.
No comments:
Post a Comment