Islandmagee Primary School held a harvest collection event and has donated the items brought in to Whitehead Storehouse to help those in economic difficulty this winter. Thank you very much for thinking of those who will not have very much and donating items that will help keep people fed during hard times.
Many thanks to those who donated items at St John’s Church of Ireland Harvest Festival Service for use by Whitehead Storehouse. Your gifts are gratefully received. It appears that the coming winter is going to be difficult for many people and your donations mean that Whitehead Storehouse will be able to provide emergency food help to those in need.
Thank you very much to all the donors at the Islandmagee Presbyterian Church Harvest Festival Service, who gave food and other non-perishables and also donations of vouchers and cash to Whitehead Storehouse.
Whitehead Storehouse is really grateful for all the amazing support received this autumn, which will let us help those in need locally this winter, including Islandmagee, Whitehead and Ballycarry.
A huge thank you to all those who donated at the Islandmagee Harvest Festival Service. The donations have been passed to Whitehead Storehouse, the independent food bank for Whitehead, Islandmagee and Ballycarry and will be kept safe, ready for emergency food supplies to be provided for those in need in the local area.
We all know that food costs have risen steeply in the last few months and that heating has become even more costly, with oil, gas and electricity prices rising sharply. For those already in difficult economic situations, the coming winter will be even harder, with some people facing thorny choices between heating and eating. Whitehead Storehouse is very grateful for all donations that will allow us to help those in short term crisis with emergency food packs that will help them over a difficult patch.
UPDATE
A very generous financial donation has also been made from the Harvest Collection by Islandmagee Methodist Church. Very gratefully received. Thank you very much.
Whitehead Storehouse is an independent foodbank, not affiliated to the big foodbanks. We cover the Whitehead, Islandmagee and Ballycarry areas only.
ReferralsWhile most of our requests come from individuals in the area we cover, we can also help families and individuals in the area who have been referred by helping agencies.
We do not require any vouchers, nor do we have any set opening hours, nor waiting times for help to be provided. We do, however, liaise with other agencies in the area to ensure that our resources are shared fairly among those most in need.
If you are a member of a team or agency that helps individuals and families in the Whitehead, Ballycarry and Islandmagee areas and believe that one of your clients needs help with food, please do not hesitate to contact us at any time.
We have a dedicated mobile phone number – 0759 621 3763 that you can ring or text, as well as an email – whiteheadstorehouse@gmail.com. You can also message us from our Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/storehousewhitehead/ These are manned by volunteers, so may not always be answered immediately but are checked regularly.
We will need the person’s name and address and a contact number, so we can phone them and find out what they need and the best time to deliver. Most of our volunteers use withheld numbers to contact clients, so your client needs to know to expect a call from a withheld number or it may say “no caller ID”. The Storehouse provides only food but if a client needs other items, such as baby clothes or bedding, for instance, we may be able to suggest other groups that may be able to help.
The food that Whitehead Storehouse supplies to people in need comes from local supermarkets and also from local donors. We are extremely grateful to all those donors for the food they give us for sharing out with those in need.
Community Fridges are a fairly new concept where food that would otherwise go to waste is put into a fridge for anyone to use. This gives individuals and families the opportunity to try something they might not otherwise buy and helps reduce waste. Here is a PDF document about community fridges in the Mid & East Antrim Area of Northern Ireland. Just click on the link below to open the PDF document.
There is a community fridge at Eden Community Centre on the Beltoy Road, Carrickfergus, which gets frequent donations of food, both chilled and store cupboard plus flowers.
It has its own Facebook page with daily updates on donations and a map to show how to reach it.
There is a community fridge at Ballystrudder, Islandmagee, opposite the Islandmagee Spar shop. This also has donations from the community garden.
Whitehead Storehouse is an independent food bank. It provides confidential help to individuals and families in urgent, emergency need of food or other necessities in the Whitehead, Ballycarry and Islandmagee areas.
We offer short term emergency help with food and other necessities to those in economic difficulties, with the aim of tiding them over an immediate crisis, so they can eventually leave their difficulties behind. We have helped a number of people over the past number of years. Whitehead Storehouse is not associated with any other food banks and does not have opening hours, nor do you need a referral from any other agency to contact us or to receive help. You can contact us by phone or text at 0759 621 3763 or by email to whiteheadstorehouse@gmail.com .
We also work with local large stores and supermarkets who provide us with food that has reached its sell by date but is still OK to eat. We distribute this weekly or less often, depending on what and how much is available and the calls for help that are being made.
Help is based on your needs, nothing else. We do our best to distribute our resources fairly and equitably, to help the greatest number of people possible.
If you are finding it difficult to manage financially at the moment and need help with food or other necessities, please get in touch in complete privacy by phone or text at 0759 621 3763 or by email to whiteheadstorehouse@gmail.com .
We are not in a position to offer long term financial support but are happy to point you to other agencies that may be able to help if needed.
Any help you receive from Whitehead Storehouse will be kept confidential.
Shop DeliveriesA reminder that a number of shops in the area can deliver your orders if you are self-isolating or do not wish to leave the house. More stores can be added if you send details.
With the lock-down, many people will be considering having their goods delivered. The following local stores are providing delivery services to those who do not want to attend the shops. Remember, Whitehead Storehouse can help disadvantaged people and families and is also coordinating help for anyone in the area needing services because they are self isolating or vulnerable. Contact Us here by phone, text or email. You can also volunteer to help Whitehead Storehouse.
The local Whitehead Spar shop carries out food deliveries for free in Whitehead and has done so for several years. The Whitehead Spar can be contacted on 028 9337 2344. Note: deliveries are now being extended further around the local area.
Foster’s Fruit And Flowers can be contacted on 028 9337 2755 and can deliver fruit, vegetables etc for free within the town of Whitehead, minimum spend £5.
For anyone in Ballycarry, the local shop, Day Today can be contacted on 07709814066 for deliveries to your doorstep.
Contact on 028 9337 2429 No Longer delivering, since lockdown eased.
Can deliver locally and take payment over the phone. Call 028 9335 3313
Contact 028 9335 3229 and ask for Ross or Harry or email ross@therinkha.com
Contact 028 9335 3261. Orders to be placed between 9am and 11am, weekdays only.
Fancy using your one form of daily exercise to help your community? Why not volunteer to help deliver these leaflets to everyone’s home in Whitehead, Ballycarry and Islandmagee?
Looking after our neighbours and friends is a marathon, not a sprint and not everyone has access to Facebook or the Internet. Your help in delivering these leaflets is crucial in letting them know that help is available for the most vulnerable in our community, as well as the disadvantaged. For those who are physically able and who are not shielding, self-isolating or in a high-risk group, you could help the community by helping us to deliver these leaflets.
Whitehead Storehouse is coordinating deliveries and other help for those who are self isolating, shielding or who need to stay physically distanced from others. If you can help, please contact us by phoning or texting 0759 621 3763. Or you can email us at Whiteheadstorehouse@gmail.com
If you need food urgently and cannot afford to feed yourself or your family, the nearest food bank for people of Whitehead, Islandmagee and Ballycarry is the Whitehead Storehouse, in Whitehead, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Call or text in complete confidence on 0759 6213 763. Or you can email whiteheadstorehouse@gmail.com. You will get a call back or a text or an email within a few hours from one of our volunteers. We may also be able to help with some other needs.
If you are able to help us with providing food for those in need, you can donate in-date, non-perishable food at any church, the community centre or the Spar shop on Edward Road, Whitehead. Donations also gratefully accepted.