THERE WAS much excitement as a third trolley-load of food came through the door, and youngsters from Dolphin School, Hurst, began rolling up their sleeves ready to get to work.
They weren’t on a shopping trip inside a local supermarket – instead they were volunteers at Wokingham Foodbank’s warehouse in Winnersh.
Rather than simply dropping off a minibus of donations collected by their community, Dolphin School decided to give its pupils an opportunity to get involved and to learn hands-on about the charity by becoming sorters and packers at its Winnersh depository.
Wokingham Foodbank Manager Annette Medhurst and adult volunteer Linda showed the 11 to 13 year-olds how to weigh each filled trolley on a machine.
Then explained why all food items are individually checked.
“Everything must be within its use-by date, and packaging has to be intact,” said Annette.
“Nobody wants a half-used jar of mayonnaise, like one that was handed in to us last year.
“And it’s really important to check whether a tin of fish is for humans – or pets.
“When I first started as a volunteer, I remember dating what I thought was a meal in a tin.
“I was sure it had said beef stew, but shortly afterwards, while thinking about what I was learning, I suddenly realised there had been a picture of a dog on the packet.”
After emptying out bags of food items onto tables, the Dolphin School youngsters began checking and date-marking everything with marker pens.
“I’m really enjoying helping out,” said one of the youngsters, “It’s something everyone should do.”
“Being here can help children to better understand what happens to the food they donate,” said Annette.
“After I give them an overview of what we do here, I put them to work doing the sorts of things our volunteers normally do each week.
“They get involved with stock taking, dating, and sorting everything into appropriate trays.”
Around 55 different products are collected at the warehouse, including toiletries, cleaning products, pet foods, and nappies.
Foods with a short lifespan are separated from those that are longer lasting, while shelves and tubs display different items around the room.
Dolphin School Teacher Chris Leakey, who brought the young people to volunteer, said:
“We want our youngsters to see beyond their immediate horizon; their home, their school, and their friends, to see the nation as a whole.
“In our Global Citizenship course, we look at poverty in the UK, we ask ‘Where does my t-shirt come from?’ and we learn about climate change.
“But Global Citizenship is also about contributing to the community, giving our time to help.
“We started visiting the food bank last year, and found it so worthwhile that we’ve come back.
“As a school we support a number of charities, including animal groups, cancer organisations, and bereavement charity Daisy’s Dream, but what’s good about Wokingham Foodbank is that it is a great place for pupils to be able to come and contribute practically.
“It’s great for them to be able to work here behind the scenes, and to give positively to something that is good.
“I’m hoping it will open their eyes.
“We do live in a relatively wealthy area, but our youngsters are discovering that there are poor people and homeless people in the borough – it’s not just something you find in the inner cities, it’s everywhere.
“Which begs the question, why is there poverty in the UK at all?
“We’re a relatively rich country, and yet it’s on our doorstep.
“Hopefully our students will realise that you don’t need to go very far to be able to do some good.”
Food bank volunteers collect donations from all the Wokingham supermarkets four times a week, but individuals and groups can also deliver goods to the Winnersh depot on Monday and Friday mornings, or at other times by arrangement.
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