A year ago Brixton resident Jon Taylor found himself redundant from his job at TV company Turner Broadcasting. The redundancy coincided with Brixton food bank’s increasing need for a full time manager. Having already volunteered there for 2 years, Taylor, 37, applied for the job.
He says, “It was a good opportunity to reassess what I wanted to do and I really thought I could make a difference and improve what they were doing.”
Redundancy is one of the many reasons people find themselves in need of donations from a food bank. Taylor says “every single food bank is so unique so you would get anything from benefit delays to people that are in debt, to people that deal with domestic abuse, to mental health.”
He continues “If we just gave people food when they came it’s not going to actually help anyone really, in the immediate short term it’d help, but later it might actually cause dependency.”
The food bank works by tinned, non-perishable food being donated from schools, churches, businesses and individuals. It is then collected and organised in a local church before being distributed to those in need. Health and care professionals identify those who are in need and give them vouchers to redeem a food pack.
A large team of over 100 volunteers makes Brixton food bank an efficient and busy place. However, tough times are ahead. A change in the way benefits are distributed comes into action later this year. They are going from weekly payments to monthly lump sums that will cause problems for many people who struggle with budgeting. The food bank is anticipating an increase in the amount of support needed by the community.
Taylor recalls of times when people have come in to the food bank with no voucher and no food in seek of help. He says, “Many people are lonely and need someone to talk to them, and to just listen”.
He makes it clear that his job is so much more than just feeding people. “You look at those people who just need some extra support, often those with mental health issues where they have just basic literacy and basic education problems. It’s difficult [for them] to fill in forms to apply for grants or to even access websites to look for job options.”
Taylor can’t see a future where the food bank isn’t needed. “Sadly I can’t imagine the situation improving anytime soon and I can see more situations arising, but we’ve got plans in place to try and alleviate that so it’s not as bad as it could be.”
Taylor has big ideas for the future and wants to broaden out the food bank so it can be a holistic center for change. “We won’t just offer food but people can come in and whatever stuff they’re struggling with we can hopefully provide some vehicle for change.” He is interested in providing other services such as parent courses, counseling courses and working with those with addictions.
He concludes, “That’s my passion and could hopefully be where our food bank goes in the future.”
