News
Cumbria Young Enterprise team creates anti-poverty food bank
Paul Eastham — 21 Feb 2012
Ask young people in Cumbria to name a place where people can't afford to eat and chances are they will choose a faraway country in Africa or the Middle East.
Yet poverty is a very real problem in the North: every day people go hungry for reasons ranging from redundancy to someone on a low income receiving an unexpected bill.
It's a situation that has shocked sixth-formers at Caldew School in Dalston - and spurred them on to do something about it. A group of year 12 students decided on a non profit- making scheme to help those in need as their the Young Enterprise programme, where young people learn about business and the world of work.
Called Scranbition, their social enterprise involves coordinating a food bank serving the Carlisle area.Sally Metcalfe, one of the 10 pupils behind the project, explains how it all came about.
'For Young Enterprise we have to set up a business. We did a bit of research into what was needed in the area and through a discussion realised that, rather than a product, we could do this,' says Sally, 17. 'We had heard of food banks but nothing was officially set up in the area and we realised people desperately needed help.' The enterprise was launched in September last year. The group first got in touch with The Trussle Trust, which works to combat poverty in the UK and abroad through projects including food banks, and the Caldew pupils have been working with Churches Together and the Salvation Army.
The latter will operate the food bank when it is officially launched at the end of March. The organisation is already involved in delivering services through multi-agency work and has been offering food parcels on an ad-hoc basis to people.Vouchers are given through referrals from ?handlers? such as hostels or children?s services, and exchanged for food parcels.Now it is hoped a much higher number of parcels will be available for those who need them, at set times during the week.
The Scranbition team have received support from the Mayor of Carlisle and city councillors Joe Hendry and Willie Whalen.Over the past few months the pupils have sent letters to local businesses asking for donations and funding, while baskets have been left at workplaces so people can leave items of food. The group has also been going round primary schools to give talks at assemblies.
It is hoped that, by raising awareness, more and more people young and old will give donations. 'We wanted to make young children aware. People do not realise it happens here, they think food shortages happen when there is a drought in somewhere like Africa,' says Rebecca Allen, 16.
'We didn?t realise how bad conditions were until we started this,' Phil Carter, also 16, adds.Business is often associated with the sole aim of making fat profits, so why did the pupils decide on a social enterprise?
'Helping other people makes you feel good about yourself,' Phil offers. 'We have the opportunity to do this, so we might as well use it,' says Rebecca. And though they might not be making money for themselves they have gained in other ways.
'We have learned things as we go along. We?ve got better at communication, at picking up the phone, and we've got more used to speaking at school assemblies,' says Sally. Talking to the trio it is clear they hope to make a difference long term. Normally at the end of the academic year Young Enterprise businesses are closed down, but Scranbition will be handed over to another set of students so it can continue.
And this is music to the ears of Greg Stalker, youth and community worker at the Salvation Army in Carlisle. 'I think it's absolutely fantastic what these pupils are doing. Enterprise schemes are always about making money and it's nice they have decided to put something back.
'And by speaking to primary schools young people are being educated on what huge needs there are out there.'
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