About Us
Help when it’s needed most
Nourish is our local foodbank. We are the caring face of our community. The support we offer to people across the whole borough of Tunbridge Wells and south Tonbridge is more than just bags of food, it’s a helping hand. The people we help are just like you and me – they come from all walks of life and from different parts of our area. What they have in common is that life has dealt them a blow and they need support to get back on their feet.
Care begins with a referral but doesn’t end with a food parcel
Our support goes beyond handing out supplies. We work hard to help people find a solution to their problems. By signposting people to other organisations that can offer additional support, such as housing associations and specialist debt advisors, we help them put their lives back together.
Short term support
We are a lifeline for people who have experienced tough times. The vast majority of people who receive a three-day emergency supply of food from Nourish are working people who are experiencing a temporary financial hardship because of a change in circumstances, such as domestic violence, sickness or an unexpected bill.
With our support, people have a chance to work through the underlying issues and tackle the problems that are causing their crisis. Most referrals only need a stopgap to get them through a difficult time – 58% of our clients receive three or fewer food parcels.
How our foodbank works
Nourish delivers food directly to local people who need help. We work currently on a referral-only basis, which means our support goes to those in genuine need. We receive referrals from frontline agencies across our area, including health professionals, social workers, family liaison officers, the police and voluntary organisations such as Citizens Advice and Age UK.
Find out below how our system works.
People donate food
People donate food
Donations of non-perishable food and provisions come to us from all over the local area to our warehouse. Individuals, businesses, schools, places of worship and community groups all contribute. At the moment we are really short of food, so please make a donation if you can.
Find out where you can donate food here.
We organise food collection events with volunteers at different times of the year.
We sort and stack
We sort and stack
When the food arrives in the warehouse in bags and crates it needs to be sorted into categories and by expiry date. Our dedicated team of volunteers go through the donations and organise them so that they can be easily accessed and put into food parcels for delivery to the clients.
Clients are referred to us
Clients are referred to us
Nourish works on a referral-only basis, which means we need to receive a referral from a frontline agency to provide food to clients. Different organisations refer clients to us, including local councils, schools, health professionals and charities. When we get the referral we contact the client to check details and requirements, then send a text to confirm the delivery time.
Find out more about how to be referred to us.
We deliver to clients
We deliver to clients
Our team of volunteer drivers collect the food parcels from the warehouse and deliver them direct to the front doors of our clients across the borough of Tunbridge Wells, south Tonbridge and surrounding areas.
We operate a delivery system for all our clients because it allows us to cover a wide geographical area including rural addresses. It also means we can ensure confidentiality for our clients (particularly important when providing support to victims of domestic violence). Additionally, clients do not have to face the stigma of going to a central foodbank or have to carry heavy bags back home.
What’s in a parcel?
What’s in a parcel?
Not all food parcels contain the same items, but they all provide enough food for at least nine meals, plus other household essentials such as toiletries. We include food which is nutritionally balanced and simple to prepare. We also try to add fresh fruit and vegetables where possible. We cater for allergies and other dietary requirements.
We include the following items in our food parcels:
- Tins of soup, beans, potatoes, vegetables, tomatoes, fish and pulses
- Cereals and porridge
- Pasta, rice and sauces
- Long-life milk, fruit juice
- Treats
- Cleaning products, toiletries and toilet rolls
Filling a growing need
Last year we supported more people than ever before. Nourish is filling a growing need in our area.
17,099
people in crisis received food
158,891
meals provided
£105,055
of food purchased
48%
were children under 18
7,263
food deliveries
£92,871
of fuel vouchers distributed
Real people, real stories
Alison’s Story
Alison* had been earning enough to cover her costs and feed her children, but her income dropped when she started maternity leave. Her relationship broke up, so there was no other earner in the home, and she was in real difficulties as the school summer holidays approached. Her children were in Years 1 and 2,…
Read more
Monika’s Story
Monika* was long−term homeless when she was referred to us by the Bridge Trust, who were providing supported accommodation until she could get back on her feet. We provided her with a starter parcel (toiletries, cleaning products, cupboard essentials) plus a slow cooker (with supplies and recipes), and four weeks of standard parcels. With the…
Read moreOur story so far
2012
Nourish is founded, with seed funding from Town & Country Housing Group and matched funding from Tunbridge Wells Borough Council. We set up in November and deliver our first food parcels in December to clients referred by agencies such as social services, GPs, schools and charities.
2013
Dawn Stanford joins Nourish as Operations Manager. With demand growing, we move into a unit kindly provided by Big Yellow Self Storage. Between December 2012 and February 2013 we deliver food to 200 people. Nourish wins the Tunbridge Wells ‘Love Where You Live’ Award for Voluntary groups. We hold our first youth volunteer session. At Christmas we deliver 50 turkey dinners, thanks to Maxipay Tunbridge Wells.
2014
We set up our first supermarket collection points in Tesco and Sainsbury’s. By February 2014 we have helped 1,800 people with emergency food and in the financial year 2014-15 we provide food for 2,345 people in need. 43% of these are children. A Nourish team raises funds by competing in the famous Tonbridge Dragon Boat Race event for the first time.
2015
Demand for Nourish continues to grow, and we launch #OurTownCares, running several fundraising events with major local firms like Childrensalon and Woods to help us meet it. We receive our first funding from The Big Lottery fund.
2016
We are the proud winners of Overall Winner and ‘Charity of the Year’ at the Tunbridge Wells ‘Love Where You Live’ Awards, and we are commended by the judges for our huge contribution to the local community. We receive the Community Contribution Award from the Civic Society. We hold our first Casino fundraising night at the High Rocks Hotel.
2017
In financial year 2016-17, we deliver food to 4,614 people in need, an increase of 156% on our first full year of operation. We hold fundraising events with Rusthall cinema and another Casino night, this time at Salomons, plus our biggest Childrensalon clothes sale so far. We run our first volunteering sessions with The Noise! youth group from the churches of Tunbridge Wells.
2018
The first quiz night is held at The Guinea pub in aid of Nourish to raise money and food – the start of their amazing support for us. Winter sees us delivering in the snow – by car and sledge. We hold our first ‘Christmas Affair’ with Skinners’ Kent Academy.
2019
We distribute over 100 tonnes of food in a year for the first time – thanks to the generosity of individuals and local schools, businesses and churches. We launch our #givingtuesday campaign, raising awareness of Nourish and our work with commuters at the station.
2020
Covid: we distribute over 100,000 meals for the first time, with staff and volunteers going above and beyond to meet unprecedented need during the pandemic. At its peak we make over 300 deliveries a week. Songwriter Graham Kendrick agrees to donate proceeds from his song ‘A Little Love’ to Nourish. Our volunteers collaborate in lockdown to make our own version! We are proud winners of The Queens Award for Voluntary Service.
2021
We move into our own warehouse on Kingstanding Way, Tunbridge Wells, having outgrown our previous premises. In financial year 2020-21 – the worst of the Covid time – we make 16,236 deliveries to people needing food. Operations Director Dawn Stanford is awarded the British Empire Medal in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in June 2021 for her commitment to helping families in crisis. We are finalists at the Kent Charity Awards for ‘Best Use of Volunteers 2021’ and at the ‘ Love Where We Live’ Awards for Charity of the Year.
2022
The cost-of-living crisis starts to bite hard, and the need for Nourish increases. The crisis also causes food donations from the public to fall, and we have to dramatically increase the amount of money we spend on food.
2023
Demand is higher than ever, and we increase our efforts to meet it. In financial year 2022-23 we make over 17,000 deliveries, an increase even on the record high number during Covid. 48% of the people we help are children. We also distribute fuel vouchers, first those provided by the government, then when that funding runs out, we use our own reserves to continue to help. We win ‘Charity of the Year 2023’ at the Times Business Awards.
The Nourish Team
Nourish Staff
Dawn Stanford
Operations Director
Dawn Stanford
Operations Director
Dawn has been Operations Director for Nourish for the last eight years. Dawn is responsible for managing all aspects of the foodbank – managing the referral process, managing the unit, sourcing food and toiletries, generating income, liaising with local community partners, dealing with press. Dawn is an exceptional leader and in her own words, confesses to being a “serial volunteer” and has been involved in various organisations over the last 20 years in Tunbridge Wells. Dawn lives in Tunbridge Wells with her partner and four children and likes coffee… A lot!
Lesley D’Arcy
Operations Manager
Lesley D’Arcy
Operations Manager
Lesley has been with Nourish since 2013 after over 20 years of exploring the world in the travel industry. Lesley is responsible for looking after the day-to-day coordination of business operational activities, including updating our referral system, coordinating volunteers and liaising with local groups for donations. Lesley lives in Tunbridge Wells with her family, two cats and a Morris Minor.
Jo Stephens
Finance Manager
Jo Stephens
Finance Manager
Jo has been with Nourish since October 2020 and heads up our Finance department. Jo qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1998, and since then she has worked as Finance Manager within various small companies and another charity in Tunbridge Wells. Jo’s role is to support the Operations team by recording the donations, banking, making payments, and generally keeping the financial records up to date. She also liaises closely with the Treasurer to provide financial information to the Trustees. Jo lives in Tunbridge Wells with her family and two dogs, Daisy & Winnie, with whom she loves to walk around Tunbridge Wells’ many beautiful green spaces.
Gina Gifford
Admin Assistant & PA
Gina Gifford
Admin Assistant & PA
Gina has been with Nourish since October 2021, where she works as Admin Assistant and PA to Dawn, our Operations Director. Gina helps with the daily operational activities, referral system and organising the drivers routes for deliveries. Gina lives in Tunbridge Wells with her husband and two sons and loves to socialise with her Family and Friends.
Nourish Trustees
Sue Smith
Chair of Trustees
Sue Smith
Chair of Trustees
Sue took up the role of Chair of the Trustees in September 2022, having served as Vice-Chair since 1 April 2021. Sue is a solicitor with experience in local authorities, further and university education and for much of the last 30 years in private practice. In the voluntary sector, she has been a primary school governor and President of Warwick Graduates’ Association. Sue has worked at Trinity Theatre Box Office, Tunbridge Wells for some years and is Deputy Editor and a Feature writer for the Newsletter in the village where she lives.
Peter Wooster
Trustee & Treasurer Committee Chair – Finance
Peter Wooster
Trustee & Treasurer Committee Chair – Finance
Peter worked as a Chartered Accountant & Management Consultant. In 2000 he started a company developing financial computer programs. Peter retired in 2015. He is a ‘detainee befriender’ at Gatwick Detention Centre. In 2017 Peter joined Nourish as warehouse sorter and became Treasurer in October 2018. Peter has lived in Tunbridge Wells since 1997.
Adrian Conroy
Trustee Committee Chair – Operations & Logistics
Adrian Conroy
Trustee Committee Chair – Operations & Logistics
Adrian is an author and publisher. Previously, he worked for the Fidelity Foundations for 14 years, working on strategic grants to charities in the UK, Europe, Asia and Bermuda. This included grant awards to foodbank non-profits in a number of countries, which inspired him to become involved as a Trustee with Nourish. Adrian lives in Langton Green.
Viv Packer
Trustee Committee Chair – Fundraising, Marketing & Events
Viv Packer
Trustee Committee Chair – Fundraising, Marketing & Events
Viv heads up our Fundraising Management Committee and has experience in running fundraising events, and managing relationships with corporates and individuals. Viv works with the volunteers to ensure we are building strong relationships within our community, without which we would be unable to provide the level of support we currently offer clients. She spent her early career in social housing, before moving into executive recruitment. She was a Board Member of Moat Homes for many years and Chair for 9 years.
Adrian Tofts
Trustee Committee Chair – Governance
Adrian Tofts
Trustee Committee Chair – Governance
Adrian is a qualified landscape architect and town planner, and gained an MBA with an international business school in 2011. He has worked in the design and development sectors for twenty years, first in the North West of England and then in Cambridgeshire and Kent. He is currently working on proposals for a new garden town in East Kent. Adrian joined Nourish in 2013 and lives near Ticehurst in East Sussex.
Simon Vincent
Trustee
Simon Vincent
Trustee
Simon moved with his wife and family to Tunbridge Wells in 2007. Like many others, utilising the train links into London where he has worked in and around the finance world for 25 years, having spent the last 10 working on the technology side of the business. Simon wanted the opportunity to invest some of his expertise and time into helping in his local community and, having recently joined Nourish as a Trustee, he hopes to his bring his IT background to the Charity. Under normal circumstances Simon spends his weekends moving his sons from one sporting event to another.
Bryony Roy
Trustee
Bryony Roy
Trustee
Bryony has worked as a solicitor for City law firms for nearly 20 years, and has undertaken a number of voluntary roles in the charitable sector alongside her legal career. These have ranged from strategic roles for Age Concern and Cancer Research UK to working as a volunteer in a hospital and, most recently, for Hackney Foodbank. Bryony moved to Tunbridge Wells with her family in 2021 and joined Nourish as a Trustee in January 2022.
Lynne Mepham
Trustee
Lynne Mepham
Trustee
Lynne is a qualified Social Worker who, after a career break to raise her family, worked for The Bridge Trust (a local Homeless Charity) in various roles for 23 years. She recently retired as their Support Services Coordinator and joined Nourish as a Trustee in May 2022. She brings to the Board experience of working with, and an understanding of, the wide range of clients who may for many and varied reasons, find themselves in need of support from Nourish Community Foodbank.
Matt Lowe
Trustee
Matt Lowe
Trustee
After 10 years working in advertising and in London, Matt took a career break to look after his young daughters. For a while he juggled the family job with freelance copywriting and running a playgroup for dads and their kids. He moved with his family to Tunbridge Wells in 2009. Since then he worked at a local primary school as a classroom assistant and before moving on to private tutoring. He recently stood down as a school governor after 12 years to join the Nourish board.
Nourish Volunteers
Nourish could not function without our wonderful team of volunteers. They are the beating heart of the charity, and their selfless giving of time and energy is vital to our work, and wonderful to see. We are extremely lucky to be able to call on them for their help.
At present we have a total of about 60 individuals who put their names down regularly on the monthly rotas either to help in the warehouse, the office or to deliver the food. On top of that are groups of volunteers who come in from local companies, faith and community groups and social clubs. These volunteers work hard to do their bit to help local people who are in crisis. Their work is appreciated by Nourish, by the clients and by the community as a whole.
Thank you to our volunteers.
