The Devon & Cornwall Food Association Ltd. (DCFA) is a Private Company Limited by Guarantee. Registered Company No. 07419679. Registered Charity No. - DCFA is recognised by HMRC as a Charity for tax purposes under Reference XT27083. Members of : NCVO (The National Council for Voluntary Organisations) – Membership No. MEMBERVC/13004, PTSC (The Plymouth Third Sector Consortium), The Small Charities Coalition, And Volunteering England – Membership No.1278747.

Our Funder:

… And Voluntary Donations.

The Devon & Cornwall Food Association Ltd (DCFA)

NEWSLETTER August – September 2011 Patron: Judi Spiers, BBC Radio Devon Spare Food is Share Food!

7 Whimple Street, Plymouth, Devon PL1 2DH Mobile: 07745819828 (text only) Email: saudigeoff@yahoo.co.uk Website: http://dcfa.webs.com

FOREWORD BY THE CHAIR

Dear Friends and Supporters,

Once again I can happily report that DCFA is gradually moving forward. At our recent Board Meeting, a decision was taken to appoint a part time Project Coordinator as and when our financial situation allows us to do so. However, our financial situation is not good and we desperately need the assistance of a competent Fund Raiser to make funding bids on our behalf.

One of our Volunteers has compiled a Workbook listing the Food Producers in our region and we will shortly be approaching them to ascertain whether they would like to help our cause. Of course, DCFA would in turn be helping them by preventing good food from going to landfill!

How can you help? By helping us to spread the word! This can be done in a number of ways:

Talk to your family, friends and neighbours.

Go to DCFA at Facebook and click the LIKE button!

DCFA has also decided to hold its future Board Meetings bi-monthly, on the understanding that a meeting can be called urgently if necessary. This will give the very hardworking Trustees a little respite between meetings and give them time to complete some outstanding tasks.

We always need more committed people to take some of the load from our shoulders. We all think this is a very worthwhile project and it will only succeed if we carry the support of you all. Do please give this some serious thought and get in touch!

Christine Christine REID Chair DCFA Board of Trustees

EDITORIAL COMMENT

NTERNET Links. If you’re reading this on-line and come across words with blue lettering that are underlined, then

you can click on these links and be taken directly to another site for more information on that particular topic. Put your cursor over the link, hold down the Control (Ctrl) Key and click! Ed.

DCFA MEETINGS

ULY 2011 BOARD Meeting. This meeting took place on Monday, 19

th July 2011 at the Catherine Street Baptist

Church.

REQUENCY OF MEETINGS. The Board agreed that it should only meet every other month rather than each

month. An interim meeting can always be called if warranted for any reason.

EXT MEETING. There will be no Board Meeting in August 2011. The next meeting will be on Tuesday, 6

th

September 2011 at 10.30 a.m. at the Catherine Street Baptist Church, Plymouth

UTURE MEETINGS. All meetings are scheduled to start at 10.30 a.m. at the Catherine Street Baptist Church unless

otherwise stated. This information is subject to change at short notice.

Tuesday, 6th

September 2011 General Board Meeting

Tuesday, 1st

November 2011 Annual General Meeting

Tuesday, 6th

December 2011 General Board Meeting followed by Christmas Drinks & Mince Pies (Plymouth - Shekinah Mission)

Tuesday, 7th

February 2012 General Board Meeting

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NNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2011. The first DCFA AGM will be held on Tuesday, 1

th November 2011 and we’re

already looking for one or two Guest Speakers. Can you help or do you know someone that might? Please contact Geoff (details at the top of Page 1).

DCFA PROJECT COORDINATOR

FTER MUCH PREVARICATION, DCFA has decided to opt for the recruitment of a part-time Project Coordinator.

This means that we will have to put the idea of obtaining permanent premises on hold because our current financial circumstances do not allow us to do both. So... once we have all our ducks in a line we will be looking to recruit.

VACANCIES AT DCFA

TAFF (PART TIME PAID). DCFA will shortly be looking to recruit a:

Project Coordinator and a

Warehouse Manager

Further details will be announced soon.

OLUNTEERS. DCFA is always on the lookout for competent, qualified individuals to volunteer for us. We

specifically need volunteers to fill the following vacant posts:

Accountant / Auditor

Administrator

First Aider

Food Handler

Fundraiser

Poster & Logo Competition Coordinator

Interested? Then please contact Geoff (details at the top of Page 1).

RUSTEES. DCFA is constantly seeking competent, qualified individuals who can perform the duties of a

Trustee with diligence and loyalty. Previous experience, although helpful, is not necessary. Please contact Geoff (details at the top of Page 1).

LOCAL FOOD PRODUCERS

NE OF OUR volunteers has been labouring away in her spare time to produce a workbook listing over 100

Local Food Producers and their details. DCFA will be making contact with these organisations in due course to ascertain whether they will be able to help DCFA with its aims. Of course, DCFA will first need to obtain some permanent premises for this to go ahead. In the meantime, if you know of a Food Producer that may help, do please pass us the details so we can add their details to our Workbook!

DCFA NEEDS ITS OWN PREMISES!

ELP Please! DCFA could do oh... so much more if only it had its own premises in a central area of Plymouth!

Do you know of somewhere... an empty warehouse or shop that we could utilise? DCFA could then start accepting the food produce that local producers have promised to supply us!

DONATIONS TO DCFA

CFA RECENTLY HAD the offer from the Proctors who run a Smallholding in a particularly beautiful part of Devon.

The offer was for a butchered half sheep! Geoff drove up to Crediton to collect it and then delivered it to the Shekinah Mission in Plymouth. We wish to thank the Proctors for this magnificent donation which will help a very needy cause!

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

From: Pearl Webb To: Geoffrey READ <saudigeoff@yahoo.co.uk> Sent: Fri, 24 June, 2011 12:47:49 Subject: Re: DCFA NEWSLETTER

Dear Geoff,

Once again we would like to thank you for the milk we receive. I can't thank DCFA enough for the difference it makes to the running of our Day Centre. Hope to see you some time in the future. Thanks once again!

Pearl

Pearl Webb Cook (Elspeth Sitters House)

Plymouth Age Concern "... aims to improve the lives of older people"

Plymouth Age Concern is a Company Limited by Guarantee Registered in England and Wales, Company number 1499927

Registered Office: Elspeth Sitters House Hoegate Street Plymouth PL1 2JB Charity No. 281820

Editorial Comment! DCFA loves to receive compliments... who doesn’t? So thank you Pearl! What is important to us however, is to know that DCFA is actually beginning to make a difference to organisations such as this. It makes all our efforts seem worthwhile somehow! Ed.

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A DCFA TRUSTEE AT WORK An article by Mrs. Eunice HALLIDAY

DCFA Trustee & Treasurer

N ADDITION to being a Trustee and the Treasurer of the DCFA, I am also the Co-ordinator of the Plymouth Foodbank.

When I heard about DCFA I was so pleased that a group of people were keen to identify and redistribute good food deemed to be surplus to retailers' requirements.

At the Foodbank we have a list of food items we give each person / family and we are often short of some items. Also it is only common sense for food to be used rather than wasted. I am sure all readers of this newsletter would agree so please do offer to get involved.

It is great for us at the Foodbank that we can have fresh milk to give out which comes from Wiseman Dairies. I quite enjoyed the early morning milk sorting when we did it for a few weeks at 7.30 a.m. but now it is later and I am supposed to be elsewhere I am grateful to volunteer Ron SANDFORD for taking my place and all the other volunteers who do this work each week.

There is no "typical" person who comes to the Foodbank. Some are single young people looking after themselves for the first time and some are families where one or both wage earners have lost jobs or had their hours cut. It is currently taking weeks for changes to benefits claims to be actioned and in the meantime people use up everything in their cupboards and exhaust the generosity of friends and family. A man coming out of a long stay in hospital had to wait three weeks for any money and this is not unusual even though all the forms had been sorted in advance. A family of four where both Mum and Dad lost their jobs in December were told they couldn't claim benefits as they had savings... which in fact they didn't have. It was therefore several months before a claim could be made and money received. A man receiving benefits in one town was told he was ineligible here in Plymouth even though his circumstances were the same.

The Foodbank and the food recipients are humbled by the generosity of people who give food to the Foodbank. However I am sure there is a lot of other food which could be made available and DCFA is working to gather together the resources in terms of money and people to receive, store and distribute good food... to all sorts of agencies supporting people in Plymouth and the local area.

The Foodbank is only one of a number of agencies registered to receive help.

We need more people on the DCFA Board of Trustees with time to pursue aspects of the work. I am currently Treasurer of DCFA but would be really pleased to hand this over to someone else. The more this work is shared out the more effective the Association can become.

DCFA ONLINE MARKETING

HRISTINE REID & Geoff READ attended an Online Marketing Seminar on Wednesday, 22

nd June 2011 at

Dame Hannahs, Seale Hayne near Newton Abbot. The seminar gave an insight into how social networking can assist charities to:

Communicate its cause.

Increase its following.

Interact with the community.

Improve its fundraising, and

Increase its volunteer base.

Our thanks to Jackie DAWKINS who hosted the event. Jackie is the Chair of the Board of Trustees of Devon Air Ambulance. Our thanks also to Alistair GLEAVE for giving such an excellent presentation.

See the photographs at Alistair Gleave's photostream at Flickr

LOCAL GIVING

OCALGIVING.COM IS A social enterprise owned by the Community Foundation Network (CFN) and the Ardbrack

Foundation, both registered charities dedicated to supporting local charities. CFN is the national body of the 57 Community Foundations in the UK. In 2009 they distributed £56m to 17,000 local charities. If you click on the link and then put DCFA into the Search Box you too can then make a donation. I hope you do!

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DCFA ON FACEBOOK

S A RESULT of the information learned at the On-line Marketing Training Day mentioned on

the previous page, it became apparent that DCFA should be promoting itself on Facebook, Twitter and other internet sites. DCFA now has its very own Facebook Page. Please click on that link and when you get there do please click on LIKE! You will find the LIKE link in the column to the right of the page. This will help us on our way! We also have a “Friends of DCFA” group at Facebook and we cordially welcome you to join us there. Please find the link to the group on the DCFA Facebook page. Thanks!

FIT FOR FUNDING

FIT for Funding course was held at ECCVS, Lanivet, near Bodmin on Wednesday, 20

th July 2011 and Christine REID

and Geoff READ attended from DCFA. The basic learning pointS of the course were: Preparing DCFA to write a funding

application

The steps that DCFA must take to prepare its project before it can begin writing a bid

Identifying suitable funders

Matching DCFA’s bid to the funding criteria

This should set DCFA in good stead for making funding applications which will be a main objective in the coming months. Once again we are most grateful to the staff of the East Cornwall Council for Voluntary Services for their hospitality and support.

GREETINGS!

APPY BIRTHDAY TO Jenny POPE for Friday, 23rd

September 2010. Jenny is a Friend of DCFA who has

recently helped us produce a substantial workbook of local Food Producers. Thanks Jenny and have a lovely day!

EST WISHES FOR a very Happy Birthday to Esme GOSS for Thursday, 29

th September 2011. Esme is a Friend

and Volunteer of DCFA and is also the Coordinator of our Volunteer Milk Team. Thanks for all your hard work Esme and have a great day!

TRUSTEE TRAINING DAY

HRISTINE REID & Geoff READ attended a Trustee Training Day on Tuesday, 28

th June 2011 at St. Cuthbert’s

Conference Centre, Buckfast Abbey. Both Christine and Geoff have been Trustees for some time but it’s always useful to be refreshed and learn current themes! It’s very important that Trustees involved with charities should know their responsibilities and liabilities, as the law appertaining to charities does not recognise ignorance as a defence.

Dorothy DALTON, the Course Leader, gave an excellent presentation. Dorothy is regarded as the UK’s leading trainer in the specialty of Trustee Responsibility & Governance. Our thanks to John CASSON of Casson International who organised and hosted the event. John is a Trustee with Sandy GALL’s Afghanistan Appeal.

OTHER NEWS

ORNWALL Food & Drink Festival. Now firmly established as one of the nation’s favourite food festivals, the Cornwall

Food & Drink Festival epitomises everything that people love about Cornwall and its people, and everything on sale inside the food and drink pavilion will have been either produced or processed within the county, reflecting the fabulous range of quality products Cornwall boasts. There’s something for everyone at this Festival, with lots to see and do and some great places to stay all around Cornwall. Don’t miss it: Friday, 23

rd – Sunday,

25th

September. Contact (01872) 274555 for details, or visit www.cornwallfoodanddrink.co.uk.

LYMOUTH Flavour Fest: Friday, 19th

to Sunday, 21st

August 2011. Plymouth’s local produce extravaganza Flavour Fest 2011 returns for its eighth year. A major part of the Plymouth Summer Festival, Flavour Fest takes place in the city centre Piazza and is a highlight of the south west’s food and drink calendar. Running from the Big Screen to Place de Brest, Flavour Fest 2011 will have more than 100 food stalls packed with tasty offerings from fine food producers all across the south west. If you would like to find out more about Flavour Fest and read our most recent press releases please visit our news page. For any further information please feel free to contact amanda.bishop@plymouth.gov.uk. Plymouth Flavour Fest is organised by the Plymouth City Centre Company as part of the Business Improvement District (BID) initiative and is one of a range of events supporting Plymouth's position as the south west's number one shopping destination and a clean, safe environment for families to enjoy a day out.

LYMOUTH FUNDRAISER GROUP. DCFA is a member of this Group. The most recent meeting was held at

Routeways in Devonport on Thursday, 28th

July 2011, the aim of which was to decide an agreed purpose for the Group, share successes and issues since the previous meeting and to offer support and information. For further information, please contact Paul READ at Routeways: (01752) 856 706 or email pread@routeways.org.uk

CCoommee jjooiinn DDCCFFAA!! SSttoopp ggoooodd ffoooodd ffrroomm eennddiinngg uupp aatt llaannddffiillll ssiitteess!!

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