Minutes:
The Area Council Manager provided a verbal update on the emergency response to Covid 19 in the North Area. There are currently approximately 40 live cases, comprising a mixture of shopping and befriending requests. Volunteer shopping is being wound down to concentrate on the recovery phase. Referrals have reduced to a couple of new cases a week from the initial 10 per day. Darton East and Darton West have the highest proportion of service users. Government food parcels were initially specialist, tailored to the specific needs of the recipient. These have now stopped. Barnsley was very much on the ball in ensuring people received their food parcels when lockdown was at its most challenging. It was felt that awareness of the Good Food Barnsley CIC should be raised as part of the recovery phase, as this will have a strong focus on food poverty in Barnsley.
There is a real mixture of provision throughout the North Area, with additional funding targetted to areas of greatest need across all Wards. This includes a ‘holiday hunger' project in St Helens Ward. Darton East Ward is looking to join up with Fareshare and Old Town Ward Alliance have recommended YMCA and Yorkshire Wildlife as possible delivery partners. It was felt that the need for food parcels will increase in winter period and consideration should be given to providing slow cookers to those most in need. It was pointed out that free school meals vouchers can be spent at The Community Shops (Athersley and Goldthorpe) and company shop as well.
RESOLVED:-
(i) that the update be noted; and
(ii) that a presentation on the Good Food Barnsley CIC should be delivered to a future Area Council meeting.