Provide Devon is a charity established in 2018 who help people living in Plymouth suffering from food poverty on an emergency basis. Provide puts together food parcels and other everyday essentials for people who need them through a referral system. The referral system is made up of schools, social workers, housing associations and more, this ensures that the right people receive the help they need.
The food parcels made by Provide include healthy and nutritious items such as fresh fruit and vegetables, dairy products and long life options such as cereal and soup. Provide tries to meet all dietary requests, for example offering gluten free and vegan options.
Provide's team works 7 days a week, and ensure that food parcels are ready to be sent within 24 hours to combat food poverty on a short term basis.
Provide works with the British Red Cross to help patients when leaving hospital with a 'home from hospital' parcel, this is vital as many of these recipients are elderly people who were admitted to hospital due to malnourishment.
So far in 2022, Provide Devon have:
• Fed 3935 people, 36% of them are children
• Put together 2144 food parcels to Plymouth residents that needed crisis food support
• Worked with over 80 referral agents
• Supplied 38,283kgs of food to people and families in Plymouth
Some recent feedback:
• "My thanks to you and your team for being supportive of an elderly lady that had been subject to financial abuse"
• "It's helpful that your service operates Monday to Friday, other similar services only operate a few times a week."
• "It was really appreciated that Provide even went the extra mile in providing items such as Deep Heat and Sterident"
