“GRACE Trust is an amazing place to work,” said Vini Jones, who spent years volunteering for the charity before joining as deputy general manager in 2013.
The now-general manager recalled that, when he started helping out, the food bank operated by Grace Trust was “half a cupboard with a few tins of beans, maybe a bit of pasta and a few cups of soups”, which would see “probably 25 people a week at the very most”.
“The food bank then was strictly – and really in some sense in still is – an emergency food bank to help someone out for a short amount of time or through a difficult patch,” he explained.
“While that is still the case, we are aware that people are struggling a little bit more across all layers of Jersey.”
Over the years the demand has risen to around 60 people a week, but Mr Jones stressed that Grace Trust was “not just a food bank” and operated a number of different projects.
This includes a grocery delivery initiative, art classes, a singing group, Saturday lunches as well as ‘corporate cook days’ where corporates can sponsor and help cook hundreds of meals that go to those in need.
And Mr Jones described the charity’s headquarters as “an open door” where a range of practical support was available – even something as simple as putting the kettle on and having a chat.
He also noted that the Grace Trust supported individuals from all walks of life, including those “who have been through no trouble at all”.
“[Maybe] they’ve been through no addiction issue in their life, they’ve done everything right and yet they still find themselves in difficulty, financial hardship, through no fault of their own, or they simply find themselves lonely.
“Through the art and the singing, the lunches, we’re able to provide that place where somebody will know your name, or somebody will remember it’s your birthday. That community factor that we’re able to offer is there.
“So I feel my job is to oversee the food bank, but keep it in its place. Don’t let it overtake the root of what Grace Trust is about – which is about people.”
He said the charity was fortunate to have some “some great guys and ladies on our team who are brilliant listeners”.
“Maybe some people come in and say ‘I’ve got this letter, or I’m behind on that and I didn’t even know I was, I thought I was getting ahead’.
“We can absorb all of that for people and just say, well, we’re going down to the art now, come along if you want – and they come down and they love it.
“Just being able to meet people where they are at, it’s really important.”
Mr Jones also highlighted the value of being able to provide support quickly, pointing out that while the effects of the charity’s work would not always be visible, it could potentially prevent an individual’s situation from worsening
“We can help someone who may appear to have it all together, but we don’t know that this could have been the last thing that could have stopped them going home and doing something silly, or it could be the one thing that could stop them going home and taking it out on somebody else,” he continued.
“Maybe you didn’t even really go into any great big depth, you just wished them well and you dealt with them as a person, somebody in front of you who has been through so much, who doesn’t want to have to explain again ‘why I’m here’.
“That’s an important thing that Grace Trust can offer – and I think you can offer that when you are a smaller charity, in a sense, when your aspirations are not too enormous and big and you overreach.
“If you take your car to a garage and you see that same mechanic, you deal with the same people each time, it builds confidence.
“It’s the same in a way, when they come to us it’s a bit like a repair shop where they come in and they just want someone to say ‘yes, I can see this means a lot to you’ or ‘that must have been so difficult for you, you’ve been through a lot’.”
Mr Jones also highlighted the contributions of the public, the churches, the schools, the corporates and foundations that had “consistently supported” Grace Trust over the years.
“I would just like to say a real thank you to them, because they really keep us going.
“They they provide very simple, practical support to a simple, practical charity that deals with people first and foremost.”
Rising demand
Mr Jones’s comments came just days after the Jersey Opinions and Lifestyle Survey revealed that nearly a quarter of surveyed households were unable to afford enough heating over the last 12 months.
It also documented an increase in the proportion of families struggling to have a cooked main meal each day.
The figures reflect the rising demand being seen by local charities.
As of this month, more than 600 households had signed up to the Salvation Army’s Pantry Store project launched earlier this year, which sells subsidised items to provide shopping with “dignity and respect” for struggling Islanders.
In April it had been supporting just over 300 households.
And the St Vincent de Paul food bank is providing support to over 640 families, compared to just under 200 families at the beginning of 2022.
