Argos Wolverhampton St Marks (Inside Sainsbury's)

We are a voluntary organisation that consists of about 40 + volunteers. We are a diverse bunch and always ready to welcome any one who would like to join us , especially if they can deliver meals to our guests on Thursdays. FoDK is a community kitchen which is recognised by Wolverhampton Council and operates out of a private home. We have also recently gained the Kings Award for Voluntary Service. Two of our volunteers went to London and all of us received the award in Birmingham. Our guests said it was nice that the work we do is seen by others as valuable. When the lockdown started we wondered how we were going to serve our guests, who used to come to a church hall for their meal. We usually served between 50-70 guests. It was decided we would deliver the food as we were no longer allowed to meet inside. In April 2020 we took out 6 meals and gave the rest to a local night shelter. We are currently (May 2025) serving 970+ guests every Thursday. We serve individuals, couples, mixed occupancy housing groups, families ,we feed over 480 children and we send a family bag of fresh produce donated by local supermarkets, mainly given by local Tesco, Aldi and Sainsbury stores. When there is not always very much surplus to offer, we try to supplement with food bought via FareShare. We run entirely on donations and grants, there are no paid staff and all monies raised go on feeding those in need across our city. We would like to send out extra food bags to all our guests if we could and constantly look for partners to help us. Presently, only families with children are receiving the surplus we collect. However many individuals and couples would benefit from a little extra too. We take referrals from a variety of routes, from schools, social workers, other charities, police, or self-referral. On our website www.FODK.org you can find our contact details. We also are always on the look out for new volunteers. We are a diverse group of volunteers and welcome everyone. We need drivers with their own transport or others who will shop, collect, prepare, fundraise. We also have some work experience students from local schools and care leavers. Whatever your strengths we can use your talents. We do have a formal constitution and our own bank account and are recognised by Wolverhampton City Council as a Community Kitchen. It has been inspected and received a grade 5 Food Safety Rating. Several volunteers also have their Level 2 Food Safety and Hygiene award. We were at St Andrew’s church as a place of welcome, on Mondays, this is now kept open by the church for us, 9.30-12.00 ( not Bank Holidays) Andy’s Place of Welcome runs Fridays 9.30-12.00. We are trying to bring a sense of community back, a place to meet and talk, various activities will be available and agencies such as health, education , local groups invited in to help share local information. Small steps in these continuing difficult times.

The Women & Families Resource Centre (WFRC) is registered charity which engages with vulnerable or disadvantaged women, children & families, advocating, supporting and empowering them to overcome barriers and vulnerabilities, to improve their quality of lives whilst striving to achieve their full potential. We achieve our aims and objectives by adopting a holistic (One Stop Shop) approach through the provision of user led projects. We provide packages of individualised, tailored support and help women to address a range of emotional and practical issues that arise from crisis or challenges such as mental ill health, domestic violence, social isolation, and other forms of disadvantage. - Other services include befriending, counselling, youth services, volunteering opportunities and a community baby bank.