Established in 2011, The James Tuttiett Charitable Trust has a mission to protect and enhance the UK’s wildlife, alongside supporting Hampshire community led projects that make a real difference to people’s lives in and around the county.
The Meon Valley Food Bank, itself established in 2015, provides families throughout the Meon Valley with much needed support to combat food poverty. Working closely with local councils, schools, churches and a wide range of social care organisations the food bank provides seven days’ worth of food to each individual referred to it.
Since the beginning of the Covid crisis the food bank has introduced a home delivery service which has proved a lifeline to people living in remote communities with no bus service or access to personal transport. Bishops Waltham Rotary Club has helped by providing a driver each week to assist with these deliveries.
The food bank relies primarily on donations of food from a wide range of individuals, schools, churches and clubs. Unlike bigger food banks we do not have “contracts” with supermarkets to take their out-of-date surpluses. Increasingly we find ourselves short of key items but with the grant from the James Tuttiett Charitable Trust we will be able to buy what we need to keep feeding needy families throughout the Meon Valley.