Express & Star

Meet the Wolverhampton charity serving up warm welcomes and company as need surges

Every one of those seeking help from The Good Shepherd has their reasons.

Published
Volunteers Elsie Hawthorne and Sue Chaggar help to dish out the hot food

Some have found themselves struggling because of a personal crisis, some are simply finding it difficult to make ends meet.

None of them are judged and they are all treated as friends by the volunteers who work tirelessly to offer support.

Cate Darmody said demand had increased, but the service was coping well with it

The Good Shepherd in Wolverhampton is working to help more than 150 people from across the city with hot meals and a range of other services, providing a lifeline for many struggling with increasing costs.

That figure has risen from just over 100 just a few months ago, illustrating the cost of living squeeze being experienced by people.

Among the services provided by the charity, which has served the community for 50 years, include a hot food service three times a week, as well as a food bank service and a family food pantry every Tuesday, which allows families to take home enough food to last a week.

Poppy Boyle talks to a visitor at the food bank area

For those people coming in to use the hot food service, it provides a much-needed hot meal, served by a mixture of volunteers and staff, as well as a warm place to go and a chance to meet other people and ease isolation.

Among the people coming to the Good Shepherd were Salvatore Puccio, who lives close to the Good Shepherd's base on Waterloo Road and who said his own personal circumstances were leaving him struggling.

He said: "When it comes to the cost-of-living right now, I live on my own with my dog and the money I am currently getting in, it's not covering my bills and I'm feeling like I'm robbing Peter to pay Paul at the moment.

"From that, I keep getting nasty letters coming through the letterbox as I've missed one payment to pay another one and I keep going back to square one."

The 61-year-old said the Good Shepherd had been a godsend for him, providing him with food and friendship.

He said: "It gives me confidence to meet so many people and it's like a community centre where we get to meet three times a week, plus get hot food and stuff to take home to the days after.

"The people who run this place and the volunteer are absolutely bostin' and they need more help from the Government to make sure they can help more of us.

"It's a sad situation right now where you can't afford things, such as being able to afford cigarettes and heat your home, and I think a lot of people would be in a much worse place without the Good Shepherd."

Salvatore Puccio and Tahir Mahmood both said the Good Shepherd had done so much to help them

For Tahir Mahmood, the cost of living crisis had been especially bad for him as he was still seeking asylum and looking to become a British citizen, having arrived in the country from the United Arab Emirates in 2002.

He said the Good Shepherd had been a real help to him after the various health issues he had had.

He said: "I've suffered from prostate cancer and lack of mobility, including time in a wheelchair, but I've been able to walk here and they have been so helpful to me.

"Nothing is too much trouble for them and they have helped me with food and with calling my doctor and giving me a bus pass.

"Due to my situation, I am not able to claim benefits and only get about £38 a week, but the people here have helped me access services and give me food, so I will be very thankful to them and the good people here."

Lucy Cox said the service ran because of the hard work of volunteers

Staff and volunteers today spoke of the rising demand they are seeing coming through the doors.

Good Shepherd volunteer Cate Darmody and food service project Lucy Cox say more people than ever were needing help.

More than 150 people have been seen on average at the Good Shepherd, up by 30 people from before the start of the cost-of-living crisis.

Ms Darmody, who has volunteered at the Good Shepherd for nine years, said she had seen the increase since April and spoke about what help people were needing.

She said: "It's getting busier all the time and we've definitely noticed the difference since April, with people looking for food, but also needing help with the other services we provide.

"We try to help people with the food by providing them with their cultural needs and giving them a variety to choose from in the kitchen, plus whatever they need to get from the food pantry.

"I think what brings people here is the hot meal that they can get and the friendly staff, as well as the number of services that they can access and while we're not always getting as much in as we would like, we have been very well supported and managed to keep going."

Cate Darmody said demand had increased, but the service was coping well with it

Lucy Cox also spoke about the increase in demand, saying that it had gone up steadily in the last six months, and about what people wanted from the service.

She said: "We serve the hot meals three times a week and have the family food pantry on a Tuesday and we're seeing an increase in the number of families that are coming to us.

"We're also seeing an increase in the number of people who are just phoning us for advice and who have never used a food bank before and the majority of the calls are about the general cost of living and how we can help them.

"One of our main aims as a charity is to be hospitable and to provide a dignified experience for the people who we work with, which you see with our staff and volunteers as they make it their main focus to make somebody feel welcome."

Chief executive Tom Hayden with volunteers, left, Elsie Hawthorne, and Pam Smith

Ms Cox said there was always the worry that demand could outlast supply, but said the Good Shepherd would find a way to keep helping people.

She said: "There is a worry for us that when the numbers carry on increasing, we might not be able to cope with the demand, both in terms of the food donations we receive and the amount of hot meals we can produce.

"However, we'll always keep on providing a service, even if it means doing smaller portions or having to open on other days, as we would never want anybody to go hungry.

"We're heavily support by schools and the local community and faith groups and Harvest and Christmas are such important times for us as we'll get enough food to last the next few months.

"We also have about 30 or 40 active volunteers and our food support simply could not operate without them on a daily basis, whether that is serving food, helping in the kitchen or making tea, so we're thankful for having them."