Blog

Make Lunch and food banks: hope, nourishment, and lasting change!

08th October 2024

TLG Make Lunch offers a unique opportunity to build deep relationships with families that need support, providing a service that fosters safety and community for the entire family. Make Lunch Coordinators Bruna Willing and Lesley Bentley, who run Make Lunch at churches connected with Trussell food banks, shared how these two initiatives work together to make a significant impact on the lives of children and families struggling with poverty and isolation in their communities.

 

Creating a Safe and Supportive Space  

City Praise Church are a referral partner of Gravesham foodbank. One of the standout benefits of TLG Make Lunch, coordinator Bruna notes, is the creation of a safe place for children and families from the food bank to belong. “It adds community. It adds a safe space. It provides a space for the parents to come and rest, have a break, get out of the house with the kids”.  

For Lesley, it was six years into their food bank journey, as part of the Chelmsford foodbank, when the team at New Life Church Crouch Valley launched TLG Make Lunch. Lesley says, “It was a way to help the community on an ongoing basis. It also allowed us to get to know the families and to show these families that our church is more than a food bank. Being at TLG Make Lunch enabled people to relax because it involved the whole family”.  

TLG Make Lunch facilitates a place where parents and children can have fun, eat healthy meals together, interact with positive role models, and make new friends. Make Lunch becomes a community where struggling children and families can feel supported and belong.  

Building Trust and Relationships  

Relationships are crucial in community work, and TLG Make Lunch plays a significant role in helping Bruna and City Praise Church build trust. “Children and families are learning to trust us,” says Bruna. Through the consistent support and care families experience at Make Lunch, relationships are strengthened, and families feel confident to participate in other activities and events organised by the church. These include parenting courses, fun day parties, and holiday events like Easter Trails and Christmas celebrations, all of which help establish City Praise as a place of hope and support in their community.  

This experience is not unique to City Praise. In a recent survey, 97% of Make Lunch participants agreed that they felt more welcome to attend other events and activities at their local church because of Make Lunch.   

Stories of Transformation  

The impact of TLG Make Lunch often extends beyond the immediate relief of food and fun. Bruna shares a touching story of a mother and son who attended Make Lunch and have since joined the church and been baptised. “The son decided to come to youth one evening to see what it was like and then he loved it. He said, ‘Mum, I want to start going to church on Sunday,’ and she replied, ‘I've been wanting to do that as well, but just didn't want to go alone. Let's go together’”.  

At New Life Church, a parent expressed her gratitude in a feedback form, highlighting the personal impact of the sessions. She wrote, “Everyone has been so lovely and accommodating to my daughter who has special educational needs. She has never been made to feel like she’s unable to do any of the cooking and has been treated with so much kindness. I’m very grateful”.  

Such stories are powerful testaments to the transformative power of community and connection at TLG Make Lunch.  

Why Partner with TLG?  

Bruna emphasises the comprehensive support TLG provides: “You give us the vision, the strategy, you’ve done the hard work.” TLG's support includes safer recruitment of core team members, essential training in safeguarding, kitchen management, first aid, and risk assessments, as well as ongoing support, learning, and funding opportunities. A bespoke website enables safe data storage and generates crucial impact data for your local club to support your grant applications.  

Additionally, TLG fosters a network of churches and partner organisations working towards the same goal, providing opportunities for collaboration and mutual encouragement. Bruna appreciates the connections made through TLG, “I believe God wants us to network and work together”.  

When asked, “What do you appreciate most about your partnership with TLG?” one club responded, “Initially, the TLG Make Lunch platform and experience helped us with advice and all we needed to get started. Now, we stay with them for support, encouragement, and clear guidance. Funding opportunities and sharing ideas, along with success stories, help us to grow our meals and look at how we can still improve going forward”.  

Find Out More  

Integrating TLG Make Lunch with the work of your food bank can significantly enhance your impact, providing holistic support to families in need. As Bruna eloquently puts it, “Make Lunch helps you build deeper relationships with families facing hunger and hardship who might also be seeking more opportunities for connection”. It offers a platform for sustained impact, building trust, fostering community, and transforming lives. We encourage you to consider this opportunity and witness the profound difference it can make in your community. Together, we can bring hope, nourishment, and lasting change to those who need it most.  

 

Read more about TLG Make Lunch

 

 

To start a conversation about how Make Lunch could help you support families you connect with through your food bank, contact: partnerships@tlg.org.uk