Sorting Food and Packing Food Parcels

Contact johnhayes@goodgym.org if you have any questions about this community mission and I can help.

Across Birmingham community groups and organisations are stepping up to help keep everyone safe. We are one of many organisations working collaboratively with other partners, community groups and volunteers from across the city to help coordinate a collective response.

The Active Wellbeing Society, Real Junk Food Project and the 67 other voluntary food groups working in partnership around the city have moved over 20 tons of food in the last few days alone as part of the #BrumTogether emergency response. #BrumTogether is a network of more than 60 partner organisations working together to provide those most in need with essential support and services. This involves co-ordinating deliveries of food parcels, hot meals, hygiene products, baby supplies and children’s activity packs to families. In association with GoodGym they are keen to find Community Mission volunteers who might be able to help pack food parcels.

Each day, they clearly have seen the number of requests coming through rise given the demand for help, if you can offer to be packers at the Ladywood Community Centre, between 4.00pm to 7pm each week day, or between 1pm and 4pm at the weekends that would be great. If you are available please sign up on the days that best suit you. Don’t worry if you can’t make it exactly at the start of the shift, or if you’re not able to stay until the very end, just sign up and do the amount of time you can.

Sorting this amount of food is quite a logistical undertaking for TAWS, and they could really do with our help. You may find that there has just been a large delivery of food which has to be sorted, or it might be quiet in anticipation of a delivery as there are no guarantees for them over when food is delivered. Most importantly, our shift has been timed to overlap the end of the early volunteer shift and the start of the late volunteer shift. So we will be the burst of energy that keeps all of these amazing people doing what they do to keep the city fed in this time of crisis.

Head to the reception at the main entrance, and look for the TAWS staff at the front door who will get you everything you need, especially training if it is your first time on shift.

If you are able, please fill in and print this form if you have not already signed up with TAWS as a volunteer. It will save time when you get there. If you want more information about volunteering with TAWS, please read this.

Covid 19:

You will need to be aware of COVID-19 risks in undertaking this community mission. During the Covid-19 outbreak, community missions will focus on supporting the organisations that provide essential support to services, including the health and care systems and foodbanks.

Please ensure you complete the training here before attending - https://www.goodgym.org/trainings/covid-19-coronavirus-safety-training

Advice to people going to GoodGym community missions:

Current Government guidelines mean that leaving home is only possible for specific reasons. For our work; supporting vulnerable people and essential work are still allowed, this task is in line with our training and goals during Coronavirus.

• Do not use public transport to attend, please only sign up if you are local and able to get there by other means such as part of your daily exercise.
• Do not attend a GoodGym group session if you are feeling unwell or anyone in your household is self isolating with symptoms.
• Wash your hands with soap before leaving to attend the session.
• Wash your hands with soap when arriving at the task location for community missions.
• Bring tissues with you to all sessions.
• If you need to cough or sneeze do so into a tissue and throw the tissue immediately into a bin.
• If you do not have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your elbow. Do not use your hands.
• Avoid touching your eyes, mouth or nose with your hands.