This Charity Superstore Is Redefining Community And The Way We Give Back | HuffPost Life

Telford Community Store Is A Charity Shop, Food Bank And Advice Bureau All Under One Roof

Natasha Hinde— The Huffington Post UK

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When I was five, my mum had to rely on food handouts from family and friends to keep us going.

I only found out at the end of last year – I’d been helping out at our local food bank and was telling her about how terrible it was that many of the women who ask for help from the charity are either escaping an abusive relationship or going through divorce.

Then she turned around and told me that, following her divorce to my dad, she couldn't afford to buy food for a period of time so had to rely on handouts. I definitely wasn't expecting that.

Mum was embarrassed, back then, to ask anyone for help. But, thankfully for us, a few family members and friends saw she was struggling and would bring bags of food around.

For many people though, this isn't the case. Those who are trying to keep above the poverty line don't necessarily have friends and family who can offer assistance in times of need. Instead, they have to pluck up the courage to ask for help - often from their local food bank.

This weekend Telford Crisis Network - an organisation which offers all manner of support to those in need - is unveiling a new community superstore in, yep you guessed it, Telford.

The organisation has teamed up with Age UK, Salvation Army, British Red Cross, Shropshire Community Project, Stay, YMCA, Citizens Advice Bureau, Maninplace, Thrive, Impact, and of course, the food bank to create Telford Community Store - a huge space offering every type of advice and support possible for those in crisis.

These charities will work together and build better futures for thousands of people, making much more of an impact than they could do separately.

They're occupying a 16,000 sq ft retail unit, free of charge, in the shopping hub of Telford. With all proceeds being split evenly between them, and being pumped straight back into the store.

The community store will, in essence, have everything that a person in crisis will need to survive and gain access to employment - but it will also be open to the public. There'll be two very different groups of people sharing one public space.

Jake Bennett, Coordinator at Telford Crisis Network, oversees the store. He tells HuffPost Lifestyle: "I had a call asking if the Crisis Network and food bank would be interested in taking up a unit on the retail park, but obviously it was a lot of space for just one small charity."

"So, I rang around a few other local charities to see if they'd be interested in sharing the space with me and they said yes! Obviously having lots of different charities in one space is important as we can all offer something different to a person in crisis."

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Redefining the way we give back

You're probably already aware of normal charity shop protocol. You go in, you browse around, and then usually a very lovely old lady at the counter will serve you. Then you pay and leave.

It’s a detached experience in the sense that you don’t see where your money goes. You don't see the end result.

In the case of Telford Community Store, both the donator and the receiver are using the same space. People will be browsing the charity shop to buy clothes while those in crisis will be coming to collect food or furniture or clothing for themselves.

Members of the public will be able to meet with those who are in need, they’ll be able to have a chat and cuppa in the cafe, and actually come out of the store feeling like they’ve really helped someone rather than just feeling, well... empty. It's an engaging experience and it's bringing a sense of community with it.

Story continues below...

FOOD BANK MYTHS

Foodbanks only give out unhealthy food(01 of10)

Not true, say The Trussell Trust. They work with dieticians to design a nutritionally balanced food parcel, but crucially using non-perishable items that can last, unlike American food banks that giver users any old near-dated surplus food. (credit:Getty Images)

Foodbanks are there because people like free things(02 of10)

This was the argument used by millionaire Lord Freud in the House of Lords. But "people can’t just turn up asking for free food, they are referred by professionals"" says Chris Mould, executive chair of the Trust. If someone turns up without a voucher, food bank staff put them in touch with relevant local agencies who can assess whether they need a voucher and signpost them to the right services. (credit:Getty Images)

The number of people helped by foodbanks is only growing because more are opening(03 of10)

This is the defence that Cameron has oft used in Prime Minister's Questions. The number of people receiving emergency food is disproportionate to the number of new foodbanks opening: last year numbers helped by foodbanks increased by 170% whilst there was only a 76% increase in new foodbanks opening. (credit:Getty Images)

Foodbanks are doing a great job, so we shouldn’t be worried about the growth in numbers needing them(04 of10)

Again, this is a common Tory refrain, and one recently examined in the Spectator. Foodbanks obviously don't dispute the first part but they are ‘deeply concerned’ by the growing numbers who are needing them. And many politicians are horrified. "If you had told be at the beginning of my political career that I'd be addressing this kind of problem when I was coming to the end of my career, I'd have been gobsmacked," government poverty tsar Frank Field MP has said. (credit:Getty Images)

Foodbanks are used by people who are too lazy to work(05 of10)

Over 50% of children living in poverty in the UK are from working households and many of the people helped by foodbanks are in work, with the rising cost of living combined with no rise in wages causing many to hit a crisis where they can’t afford to eat. (credit:Getty Images)

Supermarkets should give all their leftovers to food banks, including vegetables(06 of10)

This was a refrain heard regularly last week as it emerged Tesco throws away two-thirds of its bagged salad. Firstly, small local food banks often cannot cope with storing perishables. And the Trussell Trust doesn't believe in giving people sub-standard, out-of-date food "simply because they are poor," Mould says. Charity FareShare does work to redistribute surplus food from supermarkets and manufacturers to local charities. (credit:Getty Images)

Foodbanks are just part of the welfare system(07 of10)

The Trussell Trust receives no government funding and foodbanks are not part of the welfare state. In fact, their foodbanks are advised by head office against entering into contractual agreements with local authorities. (credit:Getty Images)

Foodbank usage is growing because Jobcentres can now refer to foodbanks(08 of10)

This is the Department of Work and Pensions line. But this has been possible since 2011, so would not explain the latest drastic rise of foodbank use increasing by a third. And the Trussell Trust believes less than 3% of people visiting food banks are referred by Jobcentres. (credit:Getty Images)

Foodbanks are a bad idea because they create dependency and don’t address causes(09 of10)

"If people come to a foodbank more than three times in six months our system automatically flags this so that the foodbank manager can contact their social worker or the service that referred them to make sure that there is a plan in place to help their client break out of poverty," Mould says,The Trust insists that the reality is that without foodbanks people go hungry, and they prevent people from turning to extreme measures such as shoplifting or rummaging through bins in order to eat. (credit:Getty Images)

Foodbanks are only growing because the media is obsessed with covering them(10 of10)

The Trussell Trust is adamant that media coverage does not generate the need. Independent research shows that 1 in 5 mums regularly skip meals to feed their children in the UK today. Widespread evidence from a range of care professionals states that short term hunger is a deep and real problem in the UK. More foodbanks are opening because people are going hungry. (credit:Getty Images)

In a nutshell, Telford Community Superstore will offer:

:: The food bank where people can go to collect food parcels, albeit discretely.

:: Furniture which has been repurposed through a local youth scheme for the unemployed. A lot of it is provided through donations as well as from Shropshire Community Project.

:: A support centre where people in crisis can go for career, financial or general life advice.

:: Computer café to enable people to apply for jobs or youngsters to do their homework.

:: Clothes bank filled with interview-appropriate clothing and warm winter-wear for those in crisis. As well as general 'charity shop' clothing for people to buy.

:: Regular table top sales where people can swap toys or clothes.

:: All manner of other community projects.

Bennett says that he felt inspired to join Telford Crisis Network because of his own personal experience which almost forced him and his wife into poverty.

"I'd lost everything, my business and very nearly my home. We had nothing," he says.

Thankfully, the couple were able to land on their feet after receiving help and support from the local community.

"We were really moved that there was so much support around us," he added.

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Now, Jake aims to channel his personal experiences and offer support to those in need through the community store.

"A year ago we found a girl who was sleeping rough under some railway arches. We found her and, with the help of other charities, managed to access accommodation, clothing and food for her," he says.

"Shortly after we'd found her, the girl found out that she was pregnant.

"I can't begin to imagine how she would've coped if she'd still been sleeping rough while pregnant, it would've been absolutely awful."

"Thanks to our help, she's now had a baby, they're both fine and most importantly, they're safe."

Telford Community Store opens to the public Saturday 15 November at Unit 5, Forge Retail Park, Colliers Way, Telford. TF3 4AG. To support the project or seek help for your own family or a loved one's, visit their website.

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