Annual review 2013

Deliveringnutritionservices

The Food Chain exists to provide access to food and nutrition support services at times of particular need to enable people living with HIV to get well, stay well and sustain independent living.

Working together for 25 years, we are a supportive and nurturing community of volunteers, staff, supporters, organisations and people living with HIV.

Health independence

2013 was an important year for The Food Chain; it marked our 25th year of delivering nutrition

services to people living with HIV in London. It was also the first full year that we had access

to our own kitchen seven days a week at Acorn House.

We have been working hard to make the best possible use of the new space. Our Eating Together communal lunches, and our Eating Positively cookery and nutrition classes became weekly services in 2013. The number of people coming along to both services has risen and in total we reached over 700 people through these outreach services over the year.

Last year we also saw unprecedented growth in the number of people struggling to afford food and relying on our grocery service to access the nutrition they need

to eat well. In total, we spent £277,000 on food hampers, £101,000 more than in 2012. Ensuring that we can meet this need for direct food provision will be at the forefront of our minds as the Board of Trustees sets out our strategy for the next five years.

2013 was an opportunity for us to look back on our 25 years and be proud of the work we have done together. It is very heartening that people from all walks of life continue to understand the need for our services and want to help in any way they can. We all lead such busy lives and fitting everything in is a challenge – the time that patrons, trustees, volunteers and staff give The Food Chain is what keeps us going. We all look forward to the day when our services are no longer required but until that day comes we will go on making the small contributions we make in the knowledge that we really do make a difference.Colm Howard-Lloyd, Chair of TrusteesSiobhán Lanigan, Chief Executive

Innovation impact

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“The Food Chain was a lovely experience right from the very beginning – the positive energy of all the staff comes through with

every phone call.”

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Snapshots statisticsThe Food Chain helps people affected by HIV in London to access the food they need to get well, stay well and live independently. Our services are provided free of charge with the support of over 574 volunteers. Over the past 12 months more people than ever before have needed us. Here’s a snapshot of our year.

1,022people were supported.

586people with nutrition

support needs living with HIV were referred to our

services.

299children

benefited from home-delivered

meals or groceries.

90 people had the opportunity to share their experiences with others over a hot lunch,

when Eating Together became a weekly service.

Snapshots statistics

137carers received respite support

from shopping or cooking.

421people learned how

to better manage their HIV at Eating Positively cookery and nutrition

classes.

5,144deliveries of grocery

hampers provided 622 households with food

when they were struggling to shop, financially or

physically.

6,476home-delivered meals

gave 176 people respite from cooking during a

period of ill-health.

18,938hours were given by our 574 volunteers.

Reducing isolation and increasing independence are at the heart of our services. In 2013, our face-to-face services went from strength to strength, as Eating Together communal lunches, and Eating Positively cookery and nutrition classes became weekly.

Isolation is a big barrier to eating well for many of the people we support. Some people who live alone are not motivated to prepare full meals for themselves every day. Eating Together is a chance to enjoy a hot meal,

have respite from cooking, and meet others in a friendly and welcoming environment.

At each session we also invite professionals from other services so that attendees can find out about other charities and support networks that might be of benefit to them.

During the year, five people who previously attended Eating Together chose to become volunteers, welcoming new service users to Eating Together or helping to prepare meals in the kitchen.

“With this illness you feel like you’re alone a lot; you have

to hide it from your friends, so it’s nice to meet others with the same illness because

you can say whatever you want, and the sessions bring people together. It is very important that there is a group like this because this illness is so lonely and with Eating Together you can be yourself and

share your troubles – I would look around and everyone would be laughing and smiling, it

was very good to see.”

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of the people referred to us in 2013 felt depressed or

anxious most days.

16%62%of the people we supported

in 2013 live alone.

Enabling nurturing

“At home I normally just pick a lot, so it was good

that the sessions made me sit down and eat a proper

full meal.” 5

Nutritious delicious

had a weekly household income of less than £50.

62%80%of referrals in 2013 were for people struggling to afford food (compared

with 52% in 2012).

of people referred were on medication that required appropriate food to help

with absorption or to reduce side-effects.

38%

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We aim to support people when they need it most. We saw unprecedented demand for food services in 2013 – many people were struggling to afford the food they needed to stay well. People living with HIV are more likely to live in poverty in the UK and having HIV increases the risk of poverty.

There are still a small number of people living with HIV who are unable to cook for themselves due to ill-health. For them a prepared meal once a week provides important respite and we would like to

meet their needs on other days of the week too.

In 2013 we investigated the possibility of expanding the meal service from our base in Acorn House, but putting the food preparation and delivery systems in place to reach people all over London would need investment well beyond our scope. Instead we focused this year on providing people with easy to prepare meals via our grocery service and we will look for better solutions to meet additional needs in the years ahead.

Nutritious delicious

“Some days I went without eating and I had to make some very difficult choices about

where to spend money. I’ve always been self-reliant and I found it embarrassing to ask for help.

“I had so much going on at the time. I was just recovering from being homeless, and had a battle to get

benefits. I had lost a lot of weight and my main worry, always, was money.

“After I was referred to The Food Chain, I spoke with the dietitian and the first service I received was a

grocery delivery. “I’ve put on a considerable amount of weight and for me

that’s quite hard as I find it easy to lose weight, but harder to put it on, as I’m tall.

“After receiving The Food Chain service, the last blood test that I had showed results that were the best

they’ve ever been, and I couldn’t believe it. I am in very good shape and I wasn’t like that before.

Good nutrition makes all the difference.”

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People living with HIV can have a normal lifespan if diagnosed and treated in time. As medication helps people to live longer, the nutritional needs of the people we support are changing.

People living with HIV are more likely to develop diabetes, cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis. Through our Eating Positively cookery and nutrition classes we are helping people to understand how diet can be used to

reduce their chances of developing these conditions.

We aim to give people the tools they need to manage their own health. This year we began to offer weekly Eating Positively classes from our kitchen at Acorn House. Everyone who receives our services also gets advice on managing their HIV from one of our dietitians and we also share our expertise by offering recipes and factsheets online.

“I only found out quite late in life about my HIV status.

“The cookery classes were absolutely wonderful – I even brought a friend along. It was lovely to meet

new people and I really enjoyed cooking new things, including chicken in breadcrumbs and shredded cabbage and garlic, which only takes a couple of

minutes to cook. “I also got recipes and advice from the dietitian,

which was really good. I still try to use some of the recipes that I was given. Because of The Food

Chain I’m feeling better – The Food Chain made me feel looked after.”

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By 2015 estimates show that half the

people living with HIV will be

50+.

The average age of people accessing

our services is now

40–45years.

People living with HIV are four times

more likely to develop diabetes.

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Encouraging empowering

“As I had stomach and bowel problems, The Food Chain provided me with different options for my diet and

sent me recipes that really worked. It was not until that time that I realised I couldn’t eat wholewheat products.

“It was a blessing to have grocery services like The Food Chain. I started to recover and feel stronger, and have gained weight. I’ve started working again; my life has

turned around.” 9

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Celebration sustainabilityWe currently receive no government grants. We rely on trusts, companies and individuals to fund our services. It is impossible to mention all the people who have supported us but we would like to thank everyone who ran, swam, baked, skydived, cycled or shook a bucket for us in 2013! This was the first full year we had access to our own kitchen premises and we made the most of it.

“We were truly humbled to receive an impressive haul of food donations – happy harvest!” Oliver Blatherwick, Admiral DuncanThe Admiral Duncan hosted a harvest celebration and donated

over £250 of food items and collected over £400. We also received food

donations from collections organised by PricewaterhouseCoopers, Virgin Trains and Sainsbury’s.

“The team loved supporting the Spring Office Picnic for our Viacommunity

Day 2013. We definitely want to come back next

year!” Jack Okell, MTVDuring the spring, companies across

London shared lunch with colleagues, and donated

their lunch money and helped to raise almost £2,000.

We held two ‘pop-up picnics’ in the Acorn House kitchen – one prepared by volunteers from MTV as

part of their Viacommunity Day.

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Celebration sustainability

“One of the most fun and (due to the karaoke round) also one of the most embarrassing

quizzes I have been to.” Owen Coughlan, avid quiz attendee

From the kitchen, Nigel Burch, Finance and Facilities Manager, hosted four quiz

nights which raised over £2,500. Volunteers, trustees and corporate supporters battled it

out to win an array of terrible prizes!

“Thank you so much again for including us in your wonderful evening. It was nothing short of fantastic in every way.”

Amanda Falkson, The Food Chain co-founderThe Silver Apple Soirée guests included founders Amanda Falkson and Mike

Pennell, and patrons Gerhard Jenne of Konditor & Cook and food writer Allegra

McEvedy. The menu was inspired by recipes from patrons and volunteer

Lead Cooks at The Food Chain and we finished the evening sharing a large

birthday cake. Over £33,000 was raised in total.

“It was great seeing service users, volunteers and other supporters all walking together. My feet and legs are still recovering!” Peter Blowers, Kitchen Services ManagerThe Silver Apple Walk – the first sponsored event organised as part

of our 25th year – raised £6,000. Participants were challenged to find

25 apples across a 25km route. After six hours of walking the day ended with a celebration at Acorn House.

Grants £583,103

Donations £117,463

Fundraising and events £54,877

Gifts in kind £74,290

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For the financial year ending 1 April 2013.

Finances figures Interest £1,937

expenditure £792,111

income £831,670

Food delivery services £502,289

Education and outreach

services £192,455

Fundraising £81,800Governance £15,567

The Actors’ Church, St Paul’s Ash

Barbara Ward Children’s FoundationBig Lottery FundBrewin Dolphin

City Bridge TrustCore Recruitment

David Chipperfield ArchitectsElton John AIDS Foundation

EYGS1 UK

Help a Capital ChildHenry Smith Charitable Trust

Hogan Lovells LLPHSBC

Hyde Park Place EstateITIQ Consulting

Konditor & CookKu Bar

Lloyds Charities TrustLondon CatalystLondon Councils

London TitansMackintosh FoundationMake a Difference Trust

Peter Moores FoundationPJK Charitable Trust

State StreetTudor TrustTula Trust

Wandsworth OasisWarner Brothers

West 5Worshipful Company of Cooks

Supporters partners

and others too numerous to mention.

Our special thanks go to the following trusts, companies and community

groups that supported us in the financial year 2012/13:

The Food ChainAcorn House, 314–320 Gray’s Inn Road, London WC1X 8DP

T 020 7843 1800W www.foodchain.org.uk

Registered Charity number 1003014 Registered Company number 2580505

Edited and designed by www.portfoliopublishing.com

Aims agenda

Continue to build long-term financial

sustainability by diversifying our

income and being cost-effective in all

we do.

Our aims for 2014 are to:

Provide access to food and nutrition

support services for more people living

with HIV.

Offer more opportunities for people to access food together with

others living with HIV, building peer support

networks.

Integrate nutrition information, recipes

and education relating to HIV management

into all services.

Develop a more sustainable model of purchasing food to

enable us to meet the growing demand for

food hampers.

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