A new Lincoln Community Larder food bank service has been set up to help those in Martin and surrounding villages who are in need of food and supplies.
The new service means people unable to get into Lincoln can collect food parcels from a central point in Martin instead.
The Lincoln Community Larder food bank service launched by the award-winning Martin and Timberland Emergency Support’ group (MATES), which was started in March 2020, as soon as the first Covid-19 lockdown hit the UK. A group of local people rallied round to provide a lifeline of support for elderly and vulnerable people unable to leave their homes and access support from friends and family.
The group received the North Kesteven District Council Community Champion 2020 award in the category Coronavirus Response Group for their work.
Lindsay Fulton, one of the co-ordinators for MATES, explains that there is a rising demand for food in the local area. “During the Covid-19 pandemic, there have been more people in need of support. Having children at home incurs extra costs and many people are living on reduced incomes. And it’s difficult for people to travel into Lincoln to the central food banks if they are self-isolating or have no access to transport.
“People are now able to ring our volunteer referrers who will then arrange collection of an emergency 
three-day food parcel from Lincoln. This will be brought to a local site on a Tuesday afternoon, so people do not have to make the trip to Lincoln themselves. Our referrers are Nicky Wilkes 07557853952, Clare Pearson 07816127681 (please text ‘larder’ to get a call back) and Brenda Crouch 01526 378634.”
Lincoln Community Larder Chairman, Alan Wilson, said, “We very much welcome this addition to our charitable organisation. Our policy has always been to give immediate help to those in need and the establishment of a local distribution site in Martin, particularly during this unprecedented time, will enable more people in rural communities to access our services.”
The Lincoln Community Larder is an independent registered charity, run entirely by volunteers, and has been helping local people in crisis for over 30 years.