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.
Lighthouse Bistro
Grateful thanks to The Lighthouse Bistro, Whitehead, its customers and to Erica Lutzman for organising a fundraiser on behalf of Whitehead Storehouse. Over £200 was raised in the short space of 3 hours, every penny of which will go to help economically deprived residents of the local area.
With the cost of living and the cost of heating rising for everyone, this is going to be a hard winter for many, who will struggle to stay warm or feed their children. It also means that donors may well be finding the economic situation harder, so we are extremely grateful to all those who donated and of course to the Lighthouse Bistro for organising the fundraiser.
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.
During the corona virus emergency, Whitehead Storehouse will coordinate volunteers and can act as a central point for arranging deliveries of food and other necessities where necessary, to those who are self isolating and unable to use the local shop delivery services. Local shops have let us know that they will do deliveries. Business names and phone numbers for calling to purchase goods and have them delivered can be found by clicking here.
Although a number of shops have said they will deliver goods to customers, there may still need to be some volunteers to help with this, if the numbers requiring deliveries get too high for the shops to manage. Volunteers who wish to help with deliveries to those who are self isolating or unable to go to the shops to get food, should email Whitehead Storehouse at Whiteheadstorehouse@gmail.com and provide the following information:
Whitehead Storehouse is the Food Bank for Whitehead, Islandmagee, Ballycarry and Eden. It will remain available to provide emergency food supplies to disadvantaged people in these areas.
During the current emergency, the Storehouse will open for one hour from 7pm to 8pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays and from 12 noon to 1pm on Saturdays, starting Saturday 21st March 2020, to receive donations for the food bank, which is running low on essentials for those who need emergency food bank supplies. Cash donations can also be accepted. The Storehouse is located at the Pastoral Centre at Lourdes Church, Victoria Avenue, Whitehead. Donations can also be left at the Spar Whitehead and Islandmagee.
A new page called HELP ME has been added to the top menu on this website. It contains lists and contact details for other organisations that may be able to help you.
Whitehead Storehouse can supply a 3 day emergency food parcel, containing non-perishable foods and may also be able to help with some fresh foodstuffs and occasionally other needs. These other organisations may be able to help with other needs that you might have.
If you want an app for your smartphone, check out the link to Here2Help, an app you can download to your phone that can help you get the help you need..
The HELP ME page contains a link to a leaflet you can download, with information on organisations in the NORTHERN area of Northern Ireland that provide help to people with certain needs, such as mental health, LGBT, bereavement, debt problems, suicide, homelessness and many, many others. The leaflet can be read online or you can download it to your computer and print it out.
There are also pictures of contact details for other organisations available for help. You can read these details online or you can download the pictures to your computer to check out later. Check out the HELP ME page.
If you contact Whitehead Storehouse, our volunteers will also discuss your needs with you in strictest confidence and may be able to help you find other organisations that may be able to help with any other needs you may have.
Foodbanks are charitable, non-profit organisations that collect food donations and pass them out to those in need of food because they do not have enough money to buy it. There are many food banks available in the UK, providing food and other emergency essentials to people struggling to manage, so that no one goes without food in an emergency. If you are referred to a food bank, or contact your independent food bank, you will get food for at least three days, as well as help to find other places that can help with your long-term needs.
The donations can come from individuals, companies or manufacturers for instance and are collected through schools, local shops, community organisations and also some of the big stores, who provide baskets near their exits for customers to add purchased items to.
Independent food banks can provide food immediately you ask. If there are none near you, you will need to get a referral to the local centre for a Trussell Trust food bank from someone like the Citizens Advice Centre or your doctor, a charity or a social worker. They can tell you how to get food from the food bank. The Citizens Advice Centre will probably make an appointment for you with an adviser who can discuss your whole situation, including whether you have any family, your income and needs. If you are eligible for the food bank they will give you a voucher or tell you how to access it.
Food banks attempt to provide enough nutritionally balanced food to last for three days, as an emergency stop gap. They will try to meet your dietary needs, within the limits of what they have available. Where necessary, they may buy special food. Some individuals or families have difficulty obtaining enough electricity or gas to be able to cook food. (They often have a choice between heating or eating). In these cases, food banks may supply cold packs containing food that can be eaten cold, or kettle packs, containing food that can be prepared with boiled water. These packs may not be nutritionally balanced, however, it is better to have some food, than none.
In Whitehead, there is an independent food bank available, called the Whitehead Storehouse. This also services Ballycarry, Islandmagee and Eden. There are also local food banks in Carrickfergus and Larne. The nearest food bank to Whitehead is the Whitehead Storehouse, an independent food bank.
Food bank donations can be made easily in many large stores, which have tubs available near the exits where you can leave non-perishable items which will be collected or delivered to food banks. In many areas, you can leave donated items into the local churches, community centres or schools. In Whitehead, the churches and community centre and the local Spar shop on Edward Road all have collection tubs where you can leave items. You can also donate money. This is used to provide emergency items that are not available in the food bank or to buy items that are in low stock.
Most food banks are happy to have volunteers to sort and pack food or work in an administrative capacity. Whitehead Storehouse is happy to use volunteers for a few hours to pack food boxes.