Alison Visits the Trussell Trust

Trussell Trust operates over 1,200 food banks in the UK. Since partnering with them, a number of Payzone and Post Office retailers have set up their own collection points in-store to take donations which can be distributed within the local area. To learn more about the fantastic work the Trussell Trust are doing within communities around the UK, our staff have been visiting their local food banks to see their efforts first hand.

We join Alison McMullan, Account Manager.

Alison McMullan recently went to her local Payzone store in Sutton-on-Hull to purchase items for the food bank then paid a visit to the Trussell Trust in Hull to see the work they were doing. Here is what Alison had to say about the experience.

“I decided to shop for my food bank donation at my nearest Payzone store to help my local retailer and the food bank at the same time. I grew up in the small village of Sutton-on-Hull and am always keen to support my local community.

 I spoke to the manager of the Payzone store, Tuthi Lingan, about the wonderful work that the Trussell Trust does to help those in need. She was keen to set up a collection point for the food bank and was extremely attentive in helping me to select a variety of essential items to donate to the food bank.

 After completing my purchases, I headed to the Trussell Trust in Hull. I was greeted by the Manager, Josh, who explained that there are four food banks throughout the city who each give out between 5 and 8 parcels per day. The food parcels are packaged up to last one person a whole week. On the day I visited, they had already given three food parcels within the first hour of me being there.

 Despite the huge uptake in people accessing the food bank, they were not short on supplies. When the pandemic hit, the community really rallied together and the Trussell Trust was inundated with support from local businesses and members of the public. They received lots of donations from members of the community so have been able to offer much needed support to those less fortunate during this time. Luckily, the kindness of strangers has not been short-lived and the Trussell Trust continues to receive a large number of donations, which has helped them to support more families than ever before.

 Although the Trussell Trust has provided a crucial service for those in need of food since Coronavirus hit, I learnt that it is much more than just a food bank. The fantastic volunteers I met also provide a place of solace for tea, coffee, biscuits and a chat. They are happy to offer help and advice bue to the current Covid-19 restrictions, this isn’t possible at the moment. However, they are hoping to resume these crucial services in the coming weeks.

 It was an honour to meet the volunteers and without their time and dedication, hundreds of people wouldn’t receive the help they desperately need. As well as giving out parcels, Heather and Linda also offer advice and support for a number of issues whilst Kevin dedicates his time to the warehouse where he is always very busy at the moment.”

Pictured are Tuthi Lingan, the shop manager in Sutton-on-Hull, along with Heather, Linda and Kevin who all volunteer for the Trussell Trust.

Support your local community by setting up your own food bank collection point in your Payzone store. Find out more about our partnership with the Trussell Trust and what you can do to get involved here.