Working together for each other.

 

Bangor Foodbank and Community Support was launched in November 2019 after realising that the needs of the community and what we could offer had outgrew Bangor Foodbank NI that had initially started back in 2012. 

 

It was/is built on a simple idea — that poverty borne problems could be answered best by looking to the community for solutions and working together to tackle them.

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Supported by a network of businesses, churches and individuals, we have provided a daily safety net for at-risk families, the elderly and individuals in the North Down & Ards Peninsula area.

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BFCS is a member of the Trussell Trust network of foodbanks of which there are over 420 across the UK. Our volunteers go to great lengths to protect the dignity of each individual client and ensure that confidentiality is maintained. The volunteer base is made up from a wide cross section of the local community including previous service users and complete a comprehensive training schedule.

 

We have a proud history of working closley with a wide range of front line service providers: Citizens Advice, Home Start, Sure Start, Mencap, Housing Executive, Kilcooley Womens Centre, Rathgill Community Centre, Breezemount Community Association, Simon Community, Womens Aid, North Down Community Network and the Ards and North Down Borough Council.

 

These front line service providers also act as referral agents to the foodbank to ensure that the foodbanks resources are directed to the most deserving in our community.

 

These care professionals issue their clients with a foodbank voucher which entitles them to receive a foodbank parcel of three days’ nutritionally balanced, non-perishable food.

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BFCS is committed to a community built on diversity, tolerance, cooperation, and mutual respect;we want to contribute to society and demonstrate social responsibility.

 

Our values are important to us, and we aim to live them out in all areas of our work.

      

To provide relief to individuals and families in crisis in North Down, through the provision of emergency food supplies.

·         To provide practical, mental and spiritual support either directly or by referral to approved partner agencies to enable individuals and families to avoid future crises.

·         To raise awareness of the causes of food poverty and encourage both policymakers and local policy makers to take action.

• To provide emergency food, develop meeting places and campaign for food justice.

• We are passionate about what we do and the difference it makes in the lives of others

• We are compassionate; we give selflessly and put others before ourselves

• We hold ourselves accountable: we acknowledge and assume responsibility for actions, decisions, and consequences – as individuals and as an organisation.

• We are innovative, with the ambition to pursue new and creative ideas that have the potential to change lives for the better.

 

We empower and encourage staff, volunteers and clients to take the initiative and achieve their best, in a safe environment where mistakes are viewed as learning opportunities.

 

BFCS's vision is a vibrant community that works together to enrich people's lives.

Guiding Principles:

- Listening and engaging with our community in thoughtful planning;
- Delivering programs that can be sustained;
- Collaborating with other agencies and organisations; and
- Being a cohesive organisation that supports staff, volunteers and board members to advance our vision.