B&Q Chard

Non-perishable foods are are collected from customer donation bins in Lidle, Pound stretcher, Sainsbury's & Tesco. Foods are also donated by local churches, schools and businesses. We offer bags of non-perishable food to All. Referrals come from a wide range of support agencies . We encourage people to come direct to us if they are in need and not sure how to proceed. If you would like to contribute financially. Larder in Chard, please contact us at the Forefront Community Centre. At present, due to storage limitations, we are unable to receive non-food items.

We’re on a mission to fight loneliness and unwantedness by equipping communities with the opportunities, motives and skills to have more naturally adventurous conversations. Live Community Projects – 2024 *Gardening Support* for those in our community who either can't afford to or don't have the mobility to look after their garden or outdoor space. *Tech support* A free, weekly, drop-in session to support anyone with low-level tech issues or in need of tech tuition. This session is run in partnership with Lawson Computer Repair. *DIY support* Our small team of volunteers use their skills and often their own equipment to help fix, mend or build. Our projects are normally initiated by statuary referrals. *Community support* Shopping/meds pick-up etc. *Befriending* One-to-one support from our friendly, fully vetted volunteer team *Schools Workshops* working with year 6 children to equip them with the conversational skills needed to 'Strike Up, Listen Up and Follow/Finish Up'. In the afternoon they get to test their skills by striking up a conversation with a prearranged waffle volunteer they have never met before *Community Work Experience* - A project that takes KS4 students at risk of school exclusion and gives them multiple opportunities to experience working in a range of different organisations in the town *Lego Club* A weekly session run by volunteers to embrace our parent's and children's love of Lego *Log Bank* Our partnership with Axe Wood Cooperative enables us to store word and deliver wood to those people who are using their open fires/wood burners to offset the high cost of gas and electricity. Those in receipt of this service over a month will often also get referred to Exeter Community Energy to support additional energy-related issues. *Social prescriber support* Creating a weekly space for those locally socially prescribed to meet in Waffle on Mondays when we don't open to the public. Our conversational approach attempts to build relationships and confidence throughout the group. *Model Railway* working with the Chamber of Commerce and Axminster Community Shed we have created two layouts in the town to showcase the skills and ingenuity of our local engineers and hobbyists *Walking Group* Our weekly walk starts and finishes at Waffle and uses the distraction of walking to encourage good, healthy conversations and relationships. *Data Bank* We are provided SIM cards from the 'The Good Things Foundation' with preloaded data to support those who can’t afford it or easily get access to the internet. *Homeless Support* Partnering with EDDC we offer first contact and furnisher support for the rehousing of the homeless *Waffle Live* Our regular in-house music event tries to support by providing a stage and opportunity for local music acts to perform. *Community Check-ins* Family support through partnership with statuary organisations via a fortnightly team meeting *Reading Partners* Primary School

Chard Community Food Hub has been set up to help the local community. This will be by referral from the local agencies. To make sure the food goes to the needy. During lock down food boxes were given monthly to over a 130 families each month. This service was started by volunteers. This was for a period of 6 months and then there was a one off box for Christmas 2021. From this we established that there was a growing need to support people within the community, while food, utilities and fuel price increases. This will get worse as we head into the winter months. The funding for some families from the Government will not be enough to help the hardest hit. Chard Community Food Hub is a part of the Chard Community Hub, this was set up due to lack of resources in the town. The Community hub looked for premises for a few months and have now taken over a High Street retail premises which people are finding very helpful. The forward plan is to provide facilities for the public, sign post to other agencies. We have now moved into a bigger building. Boden Centre Boden Street Chard