Nourishing Communities: Food Parcels for Patients in Aston and Perry Barr
Working with three District Nurses Teams and the Unplanned Care Team, BCHC Charity have been able to provide 60 emergency food parcels for older adults in Perry Barr and Aston, thanks to a kind donation from Tesco Aston.
The District Nursing teams deliver a wide range of care, from administering medications and dressing wounds to caring for patients at the end of their life, and the Unplanned Care Team provide urgent care to people in their own homes. Many of the patients they see are older adults and some are frail, isolated, and vulnerable, who may struggle to afford their necessities, or to visit stores to complete their shopping.
Tesco Aston provided a £1,500 grant so that BCHC Charity could create 60 food parcels to help support those in food and fuel poverty. Each parcel contained enough food to provide at least 2 days’ worth of meals, snacks, and drinks, such as porridge, soups, dried fruits, curries, pasta and sauces, tea and coffee, squash, and more. Sommer Matthews, Service Manager for the District Nurses, said, “There are some real pockets of deprivation, and the food parcels really support the most vulnerable patients”.
Providing a food parcel not only lessens the practical and financial pressure of grocery shopping but also reminds people they are cared for and have not been forgotten. Our nurses provide amazing care for their patients, and being able to offer the food parcels has given a morale boost to the team, as well as an opportunity for nurses to bond further with their patients.
The Hawthorn District Nursing Team would like to give thanks to Tesco for this much needed support. The team said, “We would like to thank the charity for sending these food parcels, as we have a lot of patients who are experiencing financial difficulties. This really helped them a great deal.”