'Millions' of UK young in poverty

Click here to follow a link to a BBC News item on a report by the Campaign to End Child Poverty. To read the report itself or to find out more about the organisation behind it, click here.
The Campaign to End Child Poverty says 5.5 million children are in families that are classed as "struggling" - 98% of children in some areas.
The campaign classes households as being in poverty if they are living on under £10 per person per day.

Requests update and THANK YOU!!

It's that time of year when not only are the evenings drawing in, but schools and churches are holding their harvest celebrations and festivals. A BIG thanks goes to West Road Church and St James Middle School for their donations of non perishable food collected at their harvest festival and assembly respectively. It's really wonderful when we are joined by other churches and schools who also want to reach out and help people in our town and community who are struggling. And the donations given by West Road and St James have certainly helped fill some bags this weeks and still leave some food in the cupboards. We are still a little low on a few items though so if you do need some pointers for what we're short of here goes:

• any food suitable for someone with no access to cooking facilities
• tinned fish and tinned meat
• tinned spaghetti, ravioli and other meals
• instant mashed potato and tinned potatoes
• small packets of cereals
• small bags of sugar
• toiletries in general

As you shop please do think about Storehouse and pray about what you might give - God might lead you to give something that would be just perfect for someone. And as we give even one or two cans, it's a chance to show something of God's love for the broken, the needy, the lonely and the poor in a real and practical way. Thank you.

Requests update

I apologise for not having updated the requests last week, but thank you for all the food that has come in anyway - we are so grateful for all your donations. At the moment we are running low on the following:

• Any food suitable for someone with no cooking facilities
• Tinned meat and tinned fish
• Tinned vegetables, tomatoes and kidney beans
• Instant mashed potato and tinned potatoes
• All varieties of tinned vegetables
• Tinned spaghetti, ravioli, macaroni cheese etc
• Desserts - fruit, custard, rice and other puddings
• Small bags of sugar
• Pasta sauces
• Toiletries, especially deodrants

When we make up a food bag we try to cater for 2-3 days' meals, (breakfast, lunch and evening meal) and as you can see, that covers a fair chunk of what we're short of. If you are able to spare just one or two cans, they can make such a difference, especially to the person who is given them. When you are so desperate that you have to ask for food, or when you haven't had anything to eat for a couple of days, that tin or packet of food makes a BIG impact. And our aim is, as it says on the bags we give away, to show a token of God's love. Thank you for all you do in making that happen.

Requests update

As you can read from the stats below, August has been a very busy month, and already this week 12 bags have been given out. As a result we are right out of some items and running low on some others, as follows:

· ANY food that can be eaten without heating
· tinned meat*, tinned fish
· tinned vegetables and tinned tomatoes
· instant mashed potato, tinned potatoes
· pasta, pasta sauces
· small bags of sugar*, small packets of cereals*
· toiletries (toothpaste, deodorant, shower gel)
· toilet rolls

Your help in giving to Storehouse demonstrates God's love in action to those who receive the bags. Maybe for some, it is their only experience of a church, or even of God. It's great that we can do this and show God's love and compassion in this practical way. Thank you, and please feel free to drop any donations in at the Vineyard Centre this week, especially if you are giving any of those items that we have run right out of.

August stats

Although August is typically a month for holidays and sunshine (not that there was too much of the latter this year), this year it has been a very busy month for Storehouse. Last year we gave away 45 food bags during August, but this year August saw 72 food bags leave the Storehouse cupboards to 10 different local agencies plus some non agency requests. We are so thankful for all the food and toiletries that have been given to Storehouse and as you can imagine, they have not stayed in the cupboards for very long. It is wonderful to be able to help so many people in need, and when we are all feeling the pinch in our pockets, every one or two cans really is appreciated and truly can make a difference. Thank you.