Last month, we held our community forum and had Chris Marriot from Jubilee Food Bank come along to talk to us about the rising use of food banks in Sheffield. We also had Soraya Bowen who is National Community Director skype in and join the discussions for a project idea. Chris gave a very informative presentation on food banks and their usage across the Sheffield area. This is not something any of us knew much about.

In a year, the number of food banks in Sheffield has risen from 3 to 12 with more being planned to meet demand. With recent benefit cuts also beginning to take effect, demand is expected to increase further as more people find themselves unable to afford basics such as food. The food banks look to signpost people to relevant services which can help them manage their situation and prevent them needing further assistance from a food bank again. Often recipients need debt and money management advice plus help with claiming the right benefits and support.

None of JCI Sheffield's members have any experience of food banks so we wanted to know more. One of JCI's goals is to help the community and with the theme of "inspiring action" we thought this would be a great project to run and help the people of Sheffield who are most in need. We have decided to start with a small project and hopefully this will lead on to bigger and better things. At each of our networking Wednesdays, we will have a box collecting food items for the food banks which will then be taken to them.

Hannah Bailey, 2013 Community & Social Director