Christmas is a magical time for most, but for some who are already struggling it can be one of the most stressful times of the year. Since the pandemic began, many more families are in need of help, with most not realising there is help right on their doorstep. 

Tabernacle Baptist Church, situated on Plassey Street in Penarth, have been providing families across Penarth with the support they require. Claire Grafton, a member of the Church and the charity Home Access, said:  “We have a charity called home access which helps people who are homeless or vulnerably housed, we can provide a bond to help them secure privately rented accommodation. At the moment, we’re supporting 67 households across the vale. The biggest challenge now is the lack of affordable properties to rent, which is common across the country. We do a lot of support work with people with grant applications, if they need support with their benefits and some people just even managing Universal Credit, because you need to do it online.”

Speaking about the charity, Claire added: “About nine years ago now, we started the food bank. In the first year, I think we did about twelve parcels. At the moment, we’re supporting in the region of 18 single households, four couples and about a dozen families every week but it does go up and down.”

“We’re independent, people don’t have to get a voucher from social services, they don’t have to prove need. Which means it is open for a bit of abuse, but we work on a basis of if we’ve got it, if somebody needs it, they can have it. What we have done since the pandemic is rather than make up parcels each week, folk come in and just tell us what they need. If we’ve got it, they can have it. The other thing we started during the pandemic was a uniform shop. All of the Penarth schools are here. It’s all donated, some second hand and some brand new.”

With much of the community already in support of the charity, the food bank has been able to provide the basic necessities for families throughout the pandemic. Claire said: “All the churches in Penarth support us, as do the schools. The scouts and guides collect stuff as well. We had an amazing delivery. Two girls had gone trick or treating on Halloween, and instead of asking for sweets, they asked people if they could give them something for the food bank. They came in with piles of stuff, it was amazing. We have lovely stories like that all of the time. The whole pandemic really raised the profile and the need nationally.”

“The wider community have really got onboard and been really, really supportive. There are folk who bring in financial donations very regularly that we use to top up what we haven’t got.”

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Always willing to accept more donations, Claire explained: “It’s all perishables. We always need things like washing powder and washing up liquid.. Cleaning products and sanitary products, that sort of thing we always have a basket out so people can help themselves. Coming up to Christmas, we do a Christmas hamper. People need to fill out a form for that beforehand, just so we can make sure we have everything we need. Last year, we added things like a Christmas cake, a box of chocolate, cranberries and a tin of ham. We also get fresh chicken from Thompsons. We also put in a voucher for Tesco’s so they can go and get fresh fruit and veg. We tried to make Christmas a bit better, a bit nicer. If a Mum comes in, as well as getting a Christmas hamper she’ll also get a little gift bag for herself that have some nice smelling things in it. We also do children’s chocolate bags.”

“This year, people are struggling more than ever. Price of everything is going up. The top up for Universal credit has gone now, gas and fuel prices have gone up, it’s going to be a really hard year this year. People in Penarth are so generous. For us, it’s getting  the word out to the people that need it. People need to know they can come, we’re open every morning from 10am until 12pm. All they have to do is come in and ask, I know the hardest thing is to make that first approach. It might be that somebody has no cash and needs washing powder or nappies. They can just come and ask for one thing. There’s a food bank at Church Village that we know of, so when we’ve had surplus we give stuff to them. We share it around, it’s getting it to the people that need it is the most important thing.”

“There are folk that have been coming every week for years and years. We just want to be generous and that’s tied up into ur faith and what we believe in as Christians. Loving your neighbour as yourself. For a while, we were seeing a couple living in their car. They were coming back to us and we’d fill their flask with hot water to take away. There are folk who just have a microwave and kettle, so we have to think about what to give them creatively. Years ago, we had a lady who we asked if she needed loo-roll. She burst into tears as she had just stolen some from the public loos. It’s heartbreaking, hopefully we stop those situations. Folk come in and they are just blown away. It’s the compassion and that somebody cares and wants to help, so there’s lots of tears. Sometimes we find out what the underlying problem is and help them with that.”

If you’re in need of some support this winter, remember that there is nothing to be ashamed of. We all need help from time to time, and at Tabs, there is no judgement. To find out more about the charity, what they offer or how to donate, please visit: https://www.tabs.church/arcot-house.