Church in the Community

THE FOOD BANK

The Jedburgh Churches Food Bank operates out of Jedburgh Old and Trinity with support from St John’s Episcopal Church, The Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church, Ale & Teviot Churches and the communities of Jedburgh, Oxnam and Ancrum.  We have been working in partnership with the St Boswells Community Foodbank since the start of 2023.
Fifteen volunteers currently man the Food Bank.  These workers uplift donations and purchases, check incoming goods, sort and shelve donated goods, make up food parcels, and carry out deliveries Monday to Friday.

Donations
Food donations are received at two drop off points in Jedburgh – Jedburgh Co-op and the Spar shop in Lothian Road.  There are also donation points in each of the supporting churches.  Donors with extra-bulky donations to make can make contact via the Facebook page to arrange to deliver directly to the foodstore premises, or to have the goods uplifted.

The Community Champions at the Co-op in Jedburgh and Morrisons in Hawick give us tremendous support, both through channelling customer donations, and sourcing goods in kind from their employers.
In addition, local schools and events such as the Jedburgh Ultra Marathon also donate food items at certain times of the year.

We are most grateful for all donations of goods and of money, without which we couldn’t continue this sadly-necessary work.
Posters at the various donation points are updated every couple of months with a list of the items which are most needed.  The Foodbank Facebook page also posts requests for items which are low in stock.
Anyone wishing to make a financial donation can give a cheque or cash to any member of the Foodbank Team or Kirk Session; those generous enough to consider making a regular donation can contact the Foodbank Team via Direct Message to the Facebook page to request bank details. – THANK YOU!

Deliveries
The area covered is Jedburgh and its large rural hinterland, the Ancrum area, Newtown St Boswells and St Boswells.  It is an area where many recipients without a car would not be able to access the food bank in Jedburgh, and for that reason Jedburgh Food Bank does not offer a drop-in shopping facility, but delivers parcels to clients.

The Food Parcels
Recipients are referred to the food bank by local agencies which recognise their need for help.  A parcel is designed to last 4 to 7 days, with approximately 36 items, four of which are fresh foods.  A family parcel contains extra items for children.  Parcels are delivered on a fortnightly basis if required;  or monthly;  or as one-off emergency support.

The size of the problem
The food bank has given well over 1000 parcels in 7 years. In 2019, before Lockdown and Furlough, we handed over 222 parcels.  The need quadrupled in the first year of the Covid pandemic.  Although this has settled down to a lower figure since lockdowns were lifted, demand continues to be significantly higher than it was 5 years ago.

Like all other food banks, we are experiencing an ever-rising demand for food which began with the introduction of changes to the benefits system, and has been further affected by the rise in energy costs. In order to meet that need, we have joined the Fare Share Scheme of redistributing excess supermarket food.  This is run by the Cyrenians in Edinburgh and costs about 40 pounds a month.  This cost is covered by monetary donations.

That is the size of the problem in this thinly populated rural area.  It is quite a responsibility to run a food bank and to be the last resort before someone goes hungry for days at a time.  It keeps you awake at night, thinking of the situations you encounter, especially the children.  And when you enter the store to find that some items are low or out of stock, you panic a bit ……. and pray a fair bit more!

JEDBURGH AND OXNAM PARISH CHURCH HALLS – The Kenmore Hall

KENMORE HALL has a range of facilities for events, meetings and classes, for groups large and small.

On the upper floor is a large hall with a well-equipped kitchen and servery.

On the ground floor is a range of flexible smaller rooms, a small kitchen and the toilets.

The halls have full disabled access: Outside Ramp, Lift, Accessible Toilet.

A well as church use for services, meetings and catered events, the halls are are available for bookings by community groups and individuals.

Information on bookings is available from the Hallkeeper: 07709 571905 and the Session Clerk: 01835 864365

The Church and the School

The church hosts the End of Term Assemblies of Jedburgh Grammar Campus.

CHRISTMAS TREE FESTIVAL

In 2024 the Church hosted the community Christmas Tree Festival.