FOODSTOCK in Andytown is about community.
“It’s about people looking after people,” founder Paul Doherty told this newspaper.
Foodstock started as a pantry in Paul’s garage at home in Turf Lodge, and has now grown to a team of nine people, plus partner organisations, tutors and volunteers helping people in the community hub on the Andersontown Road, and in the education and empowerment centre in King Street.
“We moved to Andytown and it became clear quickly that people needed more than a food parcel in their lives,” Paul said.
“People across society are suffering with serious mental health problems, and wellbeing issues.
“Everything we are doing is a response to what we identified in those early days.”
Foodstock has offered a range of services over the years including a pre-loved school uniform hub, English language classes, health programmes, dental programmes care, plus their ever popular breakfast clubs.
The breakfast club started following an intervention and contact from a caring teacher.
Foodstock is now running breakfast clubs in multiple locations amounting to 4,000 plus breakfasts on a weekly basis.
Breakfast involves fruit, healthy snacks, breakfast bars, hot porridge, drinks and more.
Nursery, primary and secondary schools are among those involved, giving children and young people “the best start to their day and removing any barriers to education”.
“The feedback has been great,” Paul said.
“Kids are happier, healthier, more focused in class, and it's great for their development overall.”
He added: “We also do a little community breakfast club on the Glen Road for 150+ every Friday.
“One mother said her child had social anxieties – getting upset, nervous and anxious – and him going to breakfast club before school added some sort of social element and broke all those barriers down.
“Even teachers were feeding back saying he was being an awful lot happier and wondering what was going on. It was the fact that he was engaging, and being in a happy and positive community environment.
“Sometimes you only think of food and hungry tummies, but that is another example of other ways it is benefiting young people.
“That has become a big aspect of what we do.”
Paul reflects on what the entire team is doing being “a big operation” and promoting healthy lives across every part of Belfast.
“It requires an awful lot of volunteers and people stepping up,” he said.
“It also requires an awful lot of money. This is not a government scheme. It is not a council scheme. It is basically the community stepping up, doing this and getting involved.
“We are constantly fundraising. People are running marathons, and putting on coffee mornings. We had a charity ball last year which had a massive impact for the best part of a year.
“It really is community solidarity and community in action.”
Paul speaks about the education and empowerment centre and the work to remove barriers to education for children.
On his passion and motivation to get involved he says it’s from “lived experience” growing up in Turf Lodge in the 1980s and the sense of solidarity.
“The community around me was very resilient,” Paul said. “There was incredible spirit in Turf Lodge and shows of solidarity.
“I remember pots of stew and soup, and school uniforms being passed on, and that has obviously stayed with me.
“It has shaped me and shaped the response.”
Paul says instead of shouting at the TV through frustration and anger about the cost of living and other injustices he decided to channel that into action.
“It’s community action,” he said. “It’s Foodstock. It does take up an awful lot of time in my life, but there is an awful lot of people pushing in the same way.
“It a simple act of community solidarity and people looking out for people.
“People turning up at our door and asking ‘what can I do to help?’ is driving what we are doing here.”
He added: “West Belfast is my community. The people who live here are my people, and I feel that. I have lived here my whole life. We are at the heartbeat of this place, and we are practically and actively tackling any issues, in the right environment. There are no barriers to walking in to us.”
Getting out with parcels is part of Foodstock’s “movement for good” which requires a lot of effort, support and partnerships from the likes of the Lottery, Clanmil, Amazon and others.
“It’s tough,” Paul said.
“We are looking at the longer term impacts of tackling hardship, and lack of opportunity in places like West Belfast through education, empowerment and employment. We see those things working hand in hand. We are trying to lift aspirations, building self-confidence and self-belief, and readiness for whatever comes next.”
Paul talks passionately about Pobal Ceoil which is “music in the community”.
“It’s off the back of the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann so removing barriers to someone potentially participating next year,” Paul said.
“People are availing of free tin whistle lessons, guitar lessons, mandolin, bodhrán and so on, which is a real positive thing that happens here.
"Men and women get together throughout the course of the week too so when people come here for positive initiatives it makes it a bit easier to ask for help as well. We are open to all.”
For more information visit social media or the website https://www.foodstockcharity.com
