A LIFELINE is needed for a vital service which helps to tackle poverty in Coventry.
The Pathfinder Project, based at Coventry Foodbank’s headquarters in Binley, is facing an uncertain future unless new funding can be secured.
The project has helped around 9,000 foodbank users in the city to become self-sustainable – reducing the pressure on the in-demand service.
Funded by The Trussell Trust since the pandemic, the service works with partners to offer practical and financial support.
But with funding set to run out, the service’s loss would be felt acutely by the man in charge – because the foodbank marked a turning point in his own life.
Project Manager Hugh McNeill says the loss of the Pathfinder Project would mean ‘all the good work that we’ve done will be wasted’.
Project Manager Hugh McNeill sought the help of the charity after being left penniless following the collapse of his restaurant business in 2013.
He said: “My wife had a background in catering and we thought it would be great. Only pretty quickly it turned into a nightmare. It was just like a money pit and we lost everything and ended up in huge debt.
“For me the foodbank is a very personal thing because when I needed it, it was there, and I had the opportunity to transform my life. I thought I was going to open a restaurant and get paid money for giving people food, and now I’m in a situation where I am getting paid, and I’m giving people food, but it’s for free!”
Since then, Hugh has been instrumental in building the Pathfinder Project, working with more than 50 local and national referral partners. The team is also able to donate essential equipment such as white goods, beds, electric blankets, radiators, laptops and mobile phones.
Hugh said: “Seven out of 10 people coming to the foodbank weren’t getting any further help. So we introduced ways of signposting people to the right practical and financial support they needed.
“We are able to offer each person tailored support so they can make more informed choices until they are self-sustainable. This can be anything from a couple of weeks to several months.”
Hugh is proud of the role he has played in generating a whopping £1.4million in financial gain for those who received Pathfinder’s help since its launch – and says the project is more important than ever, with demand on foodbanks increasing and donations reducing.
He said: “In the 13 years I’ve been with the foodbank, things aren’t getting better. The problem is, the demand is bigger than we can actually meet. But we are making a difference. For every pound we are given we probably deliver ten pounds back.
“All the good work that we’ve done in turning things around will be wasted. And I think that’s a crying shame. The problem is that charities are all chasing the same pot of money, and unless you’ve got a new project, it’s very hard to get that support.
“My life was transformed through foodbanks and that’s why I try and give back as much as I can. But without the funding, we can only do so much. Pathfinder is now being run very much on a shoestring but thankfully we’ve still got our volunteers, whom we couldn’t do without.
“What we really need is a corporate sponsor or sponsors to step in and offer us a lifeline, enabling us to build on all the good work we’ve achieved for the last four years.”
Contact Hugh at [email protected] to help the project. Visit https://coventry.foodbank.org.uk for more information.
