Feeding the Vulnerable and Needy:

Six months after the cuts to the Supporting People budget in Cornwall the effects of those cuts are starting to bite deeply. Nationally there is much coverage of the advent of FoodBank and Fareshare, and closer to home, close to my own heart, we have STAK (St Austell Community Kitchen) and other outlets catering to the most vulnerable in society.

You just know things are getting bad when the banks, who only two years ago were gorging themselves on supporting finance from the taxpayer, are now implementing token schemes to give a few crumbs of that money back to the society from whence it came.

This is not a rant about banks or big business, that can be saved for another time. This is about living for today, and about trying to grab some of those crumbs as they fall. NatWest are operating a Community Force initiative, whereby local people can vote for local good causes, and the "winners" will receive grants of up to £6,000.

St Austell and South Cornwall is one such area, and there are three "prizes" of £6,000 up for grabs. There are fifty nine good causes in the running, and whilst I know of most of them, and whilst I recognise the good that they all do, for my money there really are two main contenders. I could ask you to vote for both, and indeed I do ask that you vote for both.

However, in our "Big Society" it is true that "we are all in this together." So, in spreading the word around I will leave it to another organisation, not in the running for one of these grants but nevertheless catering to the same social demographic, to make the appeal on behalf of STAK and FoodBank. Cosgarne Hall residents use both of these services, and the Principal of Cosgarne, John Coventry, has engaged with us in helping to raise awareness of these issues.

John's appeal can be found by clicking this link: "Please help two important services for homeless people."  Thank you John, from all at STAK.

Alternatively, you can just click here to go straight to the STAK voting page on NatWest Community Force.