Behind every decision that shapes our work is a group of trustees who give their time, experience and judgement to guide North Bristol & South Glos Foodbank. They help make sure we stay focused on our mission, use our resources responsibly, and keep asking the hard questions about how we support people facing hunger locally. In this series, we’re introducing you to the people behind that role. Each trustee brings their own story, perspective and reasons for getting involved, but they share the same commitment: that nobody in our community should have to face hunger alone.
In this fifth post in the series, we meet Chris, a North Bristol resident who spent over a decade as a Senior Research Chemist and has been part of the Foodbank since its early days. First volunteering in 2012, he became a trustee in 2021 after years of hands-on involvement across the operation. Known as a quiet backbone of the team, Chris is often found behind the scenes in the warehouse or office, fixing problems and keeping things running. As a trustee, he brings a practical, ground-level perspective shaped by long experience of the day-to-day work of the Foodbank.
I started back in 2012, 2013 — just an occasional volunteer, helping collect food from shops and supermarkets when it was needed. As the Foodbank grew, there was more food to collect, and harvest time got pretty crazy. Then we got a warehouse. Before that, we just stuck stuff behind one of the shops and that was it. My role grew into some of the logistics of warehouse management, and because I was self-employed I had time to give. The Foodbank was based here, the staff were here, Stew [Stewart North, our chair of trustees] was here — that was where my involvement started.
Then came 2020 and COVID, and it all got a little bit mental. I ended up essentially living here nine to five, Monday to Friday, as a volunteer warehouse operator — with my kids, because we were one bubble, which made things slightly less complicated for the team. It was not long after that that the Foodbank took on the South Gloucestershire operation, became North Bristol & South Gloucestershire Foodbank, and changed from a lesser kind of charity to a CIO. That was the point they wanted to expand the number of trustees. Stew asked if I'd consider it. I ummed and ahhed about it. Well, I really didn't have an excuse not to.
My official trustee role is health and safety, which I do alongside Sally. But I think what I bring to the trustee table is that I've been hands-on in pretty well every aspect of the Foodbank — the warehouse, the outlets, the vans, the office. When we're discussing the way forward, I have a very big picture of how decisions might play into different areas.
It's been interesting to see how the reasons why people come to us have changed over the years. I remember when Universal Credit was introduced — it was an absolute disaster. People were suddenly desperately short of money because it took months for their payments to come through, but their previous support was immediately gone. Then there were the sanctions placed on people for missing appointments. And now we see people who are employed but simply can't earn enough to pay the bills. We've watched these cycles come through the Foodbank.
More recently, we went up to London to lobby the new government on poverty — child poverty in particular. One of the things we raised was the two-child cap on benefits. It's really good to see that that has finally gone, and hopefully that will make a difference to some of the people who come through our doors.
There is a place for everybody who wants to volunteer.
If you can talk to people and be a welcoming face, there's a place for you.
If you can read dates on tins and write them even bigger, there's a place for you.
If you can lift crates, drive a van, or just keep somebody who's driving a van company — there's a place for you.
And if a weekly commitment isn't possible, there are one-off supermarket collections where we just need somebody for a two-hour slot. Having people there asking shoppers for support makes a huge difference to the food we receive that week.
We don't want to exist. As a Foodbank, we don't believe anybody should have to come to us — the support should be there in society without this being necessary. But it isn't. Some people need help for just one week before they're back on their feet. For others, the issues are more chronic: debt they need help navigating, benefits they're legally entitled to but don't know how to access, problems that take time and expertise to work through. Part of what we do is signpost people towards the agencies that can provide that longer-term support — not just a ticket to the Foodbank.
If you take one thing from reading this, I hope it's that there is a place for you to help — whether that's volunteering, donating, or anything else. You might not see the difference yourself, but the people who go home feeling supported and fed will.
Chris will be taking on a half marathon this May to raise £2,000 for North Bristol & South Glos Foodbank. Having gone from a complete novice to a regular runner in recent years, he’s once again pushing himself to support local people facing hunger. If you’ve been encouraged by Chris’s story or want to back his effort, please consider sponsoring him. Every donation will help provide emergency food and practical support to people in crisis across our community.
