Sainsbury's Cannock

The Good Shepherd has had a presence in Wolverhampton more than 50 years. During that time we have adapted and changed our services to meet the needs of our service users but food has always been at the heart of what we do. We believe that the food element of our charity is the magnet which draws in those struggling from financial poverty and hardship then once trust is formed, we can help people address other issues to improve their health and wellbeing. Our vision for the whole charity is by offering clients a wide range of services which they can use whilst attending for a meal or take away will remove barriers for vulnerable groups. We are targeting agencies that support economic self-sufficiency, relieve or prevent homelessness and improve health and wellbeing. Our main client group is rough sleepers and those who are vulnerable or in poverty as well as families in need. With the food service underpinning that help and support, tackling food waste is also something we are passionate about to ensure food doesn’t go to landfill. We have regular suppliers but are also heavily reliant on donations from the public and charitable funds to ensure we can provide wholesome meals - which our clients would otherwise not receive - to meet their daily need. The essence of the Good Shepherd is that providing food and hospitality brings in the most entrenched individuals to our services and helps us breaks barriers and gain trust which in time helps them open up on many issues. It is then we can start to make referrals and get the support needed for them to make positive and sustained changes to their lives. As mentioned, at the Good Shepherd we are passionate about reducing the amount of food which goes to waste. Over a six-month period during 2020 we prevented 25 tonnes of quality food going to waste, instead ensuring it was used within our food service and passed on to our clients. Helping us reduce the amount of food waste are the close and positive working relationships we have developed with food distributors. We work with many local restaurants and supermarkets to ensure we can make use of their surplus stock or stock approaching sell-by date that they know they will not be able to use. We served over 23,000 hot meals in 2023 driven by the aim of providing good and healthy food so that we know those accessing our services were receiving at least one good, nutritious meal each day.

We are a Community cafe that support our community with food support. We signpost to local services where and when necessary. We have a Community Table in Hednesford three days a week which successfully support up to 60-100 people each week with the support of Neighbourly and other local supermarkets. We also have a Community Food pantry system in place that has ambient foods that service users can also access. We also run food hampers every Christmas Eve from the generous donations from Neighbourly. This year we will not only supply hampers to those who cannot get out but will also offer a Community Table to share the surplus with the local community. We are grateful and forever humble for the support we receive enabling us to support the local homeless and vulnerable families in our community. The members on our Facebook page also support us with our endeavours and are so very generous with donations. We post daily with updates as to where the donations are passed onto keeping us open and accountable for all that we do as a team.

WE HOLD A COMMUNITY TABLE TWICE WEEKLY ALL TOTALLY FREE TO HELP OUR COMMUNITY WHO ARE STRUGGLING TO MAKE ENDS MEET, ANYBODY & EVERYBODY IS WELCOME WE DONT ASK QUESTIONS THERE ARE NO WAITING LISTS OR APPLICATIONS TO MAKE, SIMPLY COME ALONG & FILL YOUR BAG WITH THE GOODS WE HAVE ON OFFER WE RELY SOLEY ON DONATIONS, WHETHER IT BE FROM LOCAL SHOPS, SUPERMARKETS, OTHER CHARITABLE/ COMMUNITY GROUPS OR SIMPLY FROM MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC. WITH THE SUPPORT OF OUR PARISH AND TOWN COUNCILLORS WE CAN HELP GIVE GUIDANCE TO ANYONE WHO IS IN NEED. OR WE CAN JUST BE A FRIENDLY SMILE WHEN TIMES ARE HARD.