A group of four nursing students from Sheffield Hallam University have been fundraising and volunteering for S6 Foodbank over the past couple of weeks.
As part of their health community promotion project, Ellouise Porter, Lauren Ingram, Kathryn Thompson and Isobel Shortland have donated their time and money, packing food parcels and fundraising for the Sheffield foodbank.
For the project, the group chose to focus on the importance of food and nutrition and have successfully raised £120 for S6 foodbank so far, which they have put towards a food shop that they donated, and they don’t intend on stopping here.
Ellouise Porter, a member of the group, said that this work has “opened their eyes” to the importance of what foodbanks do and has proved it’s so much more than just donating a can of beans.
She said, “We just wanted to feel like we were giving something back, because we work in hospitals for hours and we don’t get a chance to see what difference we’re making in the community.
“It’s nice for us as nurses because we got told after the pandemic, nurses were using foodbanks because there weren’t enough resources for people in healthcare to get food because of how much we were working. We thought if you think of a foodbank, you think of homeless people, but it’s not. It’s families, people that are employed.”
The group expressed how they have valued this rewarding experience of being able to use their future professions to give back to the community and are looking forward to continuing to volunteer for S6 in the coming weeks.
Another member, Lauren Ingram said “It has given me an insight into how many people in our area benefit from using the food bank in all walks of life and I hope the amazing work that the S6 foodbank does can continue in the future.”
The girls are encouraging anyone who can to donate to S6, no matter how little, to allow the invaluable work they do to continue.
Volunteers are crucial to the work that S6 provides, contributing to everything from running foodbank sessions to delivering food parcels to vulnerable housebound people.
Ben, a spokesperson for S6 foodbank, said how thankful they are for the “kind people people of Sheffield” who constantly offer support with financial and food donations.
He said “Thank you to our diverse group of volunteers, fulfilling lots of different roles. We wouldn’t be able to do what we do without them.
“We‘re always very accepting of food donations. You can see what we need and where you can drop off on our website, as well our warehouse Tuesday to Friday 9am-3pm at 66 Cross Bedford Street, Sheffield.
“But, even more powerful is financial giving, so we can buy the right food that we need at the right time and we are able to purchase in bulk.”
The foodbank has this week been accepted onto the Co-op Warm Spaces match funding programme, so there is no better time to give than now.
Any donations made until the end of March will be matched by Co-op. If you wish to donate, you can visit https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/sheffield-s6-foodbank-2 .