Oyster Food Bank Christmas 2014 Appeal

Help us help our fellow disabled people caught in poverty feed themselves.

We run a specialised food bank supporting disabled people who cannot access the referal stream of conventional foodbanks.  (The Oyster Project award winning charity www.oysterproject.org.uk)

Recipients are disabled people who are finding making ends meet under the current government restrictions really difficult.  Some have been on the receiving end of the so called bedroom tax despite having been housed in adapted social housing with a spare room in the past they now find themselves being epenalised and unable to rehouse.  Others are having problems due to the work assessment process itself much derided by it seems everyone.  

There are three criteria to be accepted 1) they must have a disability related benefit 2) they must have a means tested benefit and 3) they must be prepared to volunteer two hours per week either with us or with another charity/organisation.  www.foodbank.oysterproject.org.uk 

We also run a soup kitchen on Food Bank Friday when food donors are given free homemade bread and soup and disabled people can get a low cost or free lunch.

We collect food via collection points in schools, colleges and at our own community cafes and the local Quakers meeting.   We distribute cleaning products, loo roll, personal hygeine products, pet food etc not just tins of beans! We also run a cooking club teaching disabled people how to cook food and save money.

In the run up to Christmas 2014 we would like to make a real difference to disabled people's festive experience, please help us do this.  

We believe we are the only specialised food bank for disabled people in the UK, but please tell us if this not so.... Thank you and merry Christmas, Oyster Food Bank Volunteers