Yarmouth holiday park partners with foodbank 

The Haven Seashore holiday park has introduced a new approach in order to support the Yarmouth & Magdalen foodbank.

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The holiday park now include foodbank flyers in guests’ welcome packs, asking them to leave any unused food at the end of their holiday in their accommodation or in the donation basket at the park exit. They have also introduced donation baskets in their shops to collect for the foodbank. So far, the initiative has generated over 520kg of food for the foodbank in just three months.
 
Yarmouth & Magdalen Foodbank, which primarily serves the town of Great Yarmouth and the Magdalen estate in Gorleston, now plan to replicate this model across all local Haven sites, so that they can continue to meet the very high demand they are experiencing. 

Foodbank project manager, Jennifer King, said: “When we set up the foodbank in March 2023 we anticipated 15-20 parcels per week, however we are currently serving around 70 parcels, to over 200 people every week. As demand has grown we have also faced a decrease in food donations, as households who previously donated have less disposable income themselves. We have been forced to think of innovative ways to encourage food donations and this arrangement with Haven Seashore has proved very fruitful.  Having the support of local businesses is imperative to our sustainability, so we are very grateful to the staff at Haven Seashore.”
 
Haven retail revenue manager Francis Harkin commented: “Over the last few years, it’s been sad to hear all the stories of people struggling. I personally know people that have faced tough times and are struggling, so to meet with Yarmouth & Magdalen Foodbank and see all the people they help gives me great confidence that we can make a difference in the world.”
 
The scheme has even been a topic of conversation on the nationwide Facebook group Haven Holidays (which has over 91,000 members). A holidaymaker posted a photo of the donation basket described the initiative as “groundbreaking”.The post now has more than 90 comments including, “brilliant idea”, “This should be in all parks” and “I wish our park did this”.
 
Jennifer King continued: “Spring and summer are usually quieter times for foodbanks, but as the financial crisis deepens, we have seen no seasonal decline since the winter. We are very worried about how the number of clients will spiral this winter, so we are doing everything we can to plan for a very busy end to the year. Everyone we feed lives in Yarmouth and Magdalen postcodes, and we are passionate about improving the lives of those in our borough.”
 
Any businesses that might be able to support Yarmouth & Magdalen Foodbank in any way, please contact Charity Manager Jennifer King on info@yarmouthmagdalen.foodbank.org.uk or 01493 543051.
 
Pictured above is Debbie King, Warehouse Manager of Yarmouth & Magdalen Foodbank, receiving donations from Francis Harkin at Haven Seashore. Courtesy of Yarmouth and Magdalen Foodbank.