B&Q Southport

Started 15 years ago we are a volunteer foodbank receiving support from local farms and bakeries and occasional support from businesses and the community at large. We feed an average of 45 people per day, consisting of single people, couples and families, who are marginalised and homeless. We have almost 400 people registered with us and this number continues to grow.

Compassion Acts supports adults and children facing hardship by providing emergency food through Southport Foodbank, in line with The Trussell guidelines. Alongside this, we run Food Pantries, a Community Market and offer benefits advice, including advocacy and support at benefit tribunals. Our projects are delivered across the North Sefton area. While the Foodbank provides vital emergency assistance for people in crisis, its support is designed to be short term. Many families and individuals continue to struggle once the immediate crisis has passed. Our Food Pantry helps bridge that gap by offering members the opportunity to shop for around £30 worth of groceries each week for just £5, choosing the items that best suit their household. Val turned to Compassion Acts after facing a long wait for her benefits. Referred first to the Foodbank and then to the Food Pantry, she found more than just practical support. "I was full of panic and anxiety, wondering how I was going to cope if I ended up on the street. The volunteers at the Food Pantry were lovely. It gave me back my confidence and self-esteem. Without going there and meeting people, who knows what could have happened?"

Newstart in Southport is a temporary stay accommodation for people aged between 18-35 who find themselves homeless, often through no fault of their own. Some of the younger people come to us as they have had family relationships break down; some come to us from leaving care services. More often than not they have additional needs like poor mental health or dependencies to drugs or alcohol. Either way they often have nothing when they arrive so if they come to us we try our best to make them feel they're at home, safe and wanted. We have two Adult Hostel services located in Southport with our most recent service opening during the Covid Pandemic. In addition to this, between 8pm and 8am each night we run a Crash Bed service for rough sleepers. This means people who live on the street can have somewhere to go to each night instead of sleeping rough in very cold wet weather. We offer them a self contained room with en-suite bathroom, a hot evening meal and breakfast before they leave us. We will also provide them with toiletries, socks and donated clothes if they need them. We are very grateful to M&S for allowing us to take part in their Neighbourly project. With the extra food donations we are able to help the residents and rough sleepers with just a little bit more than they would have. Thank you.