Vision & Mission

September 29th to October 6th, 2024

Inviting everyone to offer food and resources ‘With Thankful Hearts’ to those who share with others through our food banks and other providers, with a commitment from each of us to ‘adopt a provider’ for a year and to support them as best we can through the coming winter and challenging times.

As well as the heatwaves and drought conditions in the country there has been one constant item on the news and in conversations. It is of course the economic situation we face and particularly the pressures on those on low incomes and on the margins of our society. Although the utility bills increases and inflation affects us all, it has a particular impact on those on the margins. We all then have a choice to either reduce our costs and look after ourselves, or to be aware of others and seek to also support them.

Our local foodbanks, pantries, larders and others who provide food are also noticing that their supplies and stocks are decreasing as the demands increase and as the availability of food appears to reduce.

Over the last three years as a city we have come together and supported a Harvest season campaign in our community groups, schools and faith groups. There was a strong sense of us showing that deep community spirit of which Pompey people are rightly proud.

This year as a Diocese we are encouraged to keep Generosity Week alongside our Harvest Celebrations. Generosity Week encourages us (and provides resources) to reflect on God’s Generosity to us – and our own response in gratitude ‘with thankful hearts’.

This can be done in all sorts of ways, but we hope you might encourage people to donate food to support local food providers across the city.

The need is great and the pressures on foodbanks, pantries and larders is growing. Supply of food to these provides is diminishing while demand from users is increasing. A simple example of this is the recent opening of the Fratton Together Pantry in the Bridge Centre. In the 3 weeks it has been opened it has already grown to 95 members and each session has had over 30 people queuing to shop in the Pantry.

Fr Bob can be contacted here.