The Big Help Out - Salisbury
King Charles calls us all to give back, as we celebrate his Coronation.
On the Coronation Bank Holiday Monday, Salisbury City Council’s Communities Team staff and volunteers will be out in force on our Market Square, alongside community partners from the ‘Salisbury Foodie Network’ including Bemerton Community Fridge, Your Salisbury Pantry and Salisbury Foodbank for the biggest food collection the city has ever seen!
This event calls upon residents of Salisbury and the surrounding areas to come together on the day and make a huge difference for those people most affected by the cost-of-living crisis. We call on individuals, organisations, friendship groups and families to collect tinned and packeted goods and bring them to the Market Square on The Big Help Out day.
Salisbury Foodbank Manager, Maria Stevenson said, “We believe no-one should go hungry in 2023. No one should have to choose between heating or eating. Yet many people in our community still do. One thing you can do this year is to support our local food projects, raise awareness of their needs and spread the word of their existence so more people know where to go if they need help. All the projects that are part of the Salisbury Foodie Forum reduce food waste and distribute vital supplies to those who are struggling and can often prevent people from reaching crisis point.”
It’s important that we gather the foods most needed by projects benefiting from the donations, so the Salisbury Foodie Network please asks for donations of the following:
- Tinned fruit
- Rice pudding/custard
- Long life fruit juice
- Long life milk
- Tuna
- Super noodles
- Tinned tomato’s
- Tinned veg
- Tinned meats/meat meals
A member of the Salisbury Foodie Network said, “Imagine if we collected just 1 item of food for every resident in the city. This could provide 2500 pantry shops or populate the shelves of the community fridge for months. Or this could provide the basis for over 1700 foodbank family boxes. We know the strength of our community when it comes together and as we all face the cost-of-living crisis, this felt like the right response to King Charles’ call to action.”
On the day we will be joined by Love Salisbury Radio who will be bringing some music and atmosphere and a range of local voluntary organisations promoting their work and the volunteering opportunities within their projects. Groups include Alzheimers Support. Read Easy and Ramblers Wellbeing Walks Salisbury and Wessex Community Action. With volunteer refreshments provided by Tesco Express the day promises to be a fun and meaningful collaboration for the Coronation!
The Mayor of Salisbury, Cllr Tom Corbin said "The King's Big Help Out is a day of opportunity for charity groups and volunteer organisations to showcase what they do and for people to come together to help support and give back to the Salisbury community. I look forward to supporting Salisbury City Council and community partners event on Coronation Monday on the Market Square."
Around this central ‘big give’ the City Council are also inviting organisations who need volunteers to take up a free stand on the square to show what they do and to promote their volunteering opportunities. We hope that each organisation will provide a simple activity or a game to get the volunteering festival feel going. The aim is to show people how many ways there are to volunteer, including micro volunteering, remote volunteering and see how you can volunteer at different times of the week across the city.
How can I donate food?
To donate simply bring the food to the Market Square between 12pm and 4pm on Monday 8th May.
If you can walk your donation onto the square, please do, but for those who have collected as a group and have a large amount to donate you will be able to drive onto the Guildhall Square, with access from Blue Boar Row, directed by Marshalls on the day.
Want to get involved?
This event is all about the whole city helping each other out! So, we need you to help to make this plan, a reality!
- Volunteer to sort and marshal – If you can give 2 to 4 hours on the day to work with us on the Market Square to take in food or other donation items. This is a great way to do something simple to be part of the Big Help Out.
- Volunteer van drivers – Once the items have been collected and sorted, we will need to move them to sites within the city for storage. If you have a van and can spare some time on the 8th of May – we want to hear from you!
If anyone would like to volunteer to help us collect and sort the food on the day please contact the Salisbury City Council Communities Team on 01722 417100 or email bhc@salisburycitycouncil.gov.uk with the subject line ‘Big Help Out’
Do you and your organisation need volunteers?
Join local organisations already signed up by booking a stand to raise awareness of your work and promote your volunteering opportunities.
Contact us on 01722 417100 or email bhc@salisburycitycouncil.gov.uk with the subject line – Big Help Out if you want to become involved in any of these ways.