We’re seeking two new trustees to join our board.
Wythenshawe Foodbank are part of the Trussell network, we’re a small charity working to support local people in food crisis. We operate across five sites, 6 days a week, serving the whole of Wythenshawe from a central operations hub based in Wythenshawe town centre.
Unfortunately, our services are needed now more than ever with year-on-year increases in the number of individuals, couples and families needing emergency food parcels. We employ two members of staff and have approximately 30 regular volunteers, in addition to volunteers from local organisations who support us at specific events such as food drives.
Due to the huge demand for our services and the recent departure of a trustee, we are seeking two new trustees with an interest in helping others, who are willing to uphold the food bank’s values, and who can bring life experience to the board of trustees.
Trustees have collective responsibility for the governance of the organisation and for all decisions made by the board. They set the strategic direction for the charity, ensuring alignment to its values, and are responsible for setting organisational policy, defining goals, agreeing the financial plan, evaluating performance, and ensuring that strong relationships are maintained between the trustees, staff, volunteers, and users of the charity’s services.
All trustees will have the following responsibilities:
- Approve, support and guide the charity’s purpose, vision, strategy, goals and objectives to manage the charity’s resources responsibly, including ensuring the charity’s assets are used only to carry out its purpose, avoid undue risk and not over-commit the charity.
- Act with reasonable care and skill, giving your time, thought and energy to your role.
- To serve as an additional promoter of the food bank in the community.
- Ensure the charity is accountable, actively complying with statutory accounting and reporting requirements and the law.
- To help promote the organisation to a broader audience of potential funders and beneficiaries.
- To ensure the food bank has appropriate procedures to: comply with current legislation and good practice; including employment, health and safety, equal opportunities, safeguarding &
GDPR compliance/data protection etc. - expected to be able to represent and present on behalf of the food bank at meetings and conferences as and when they come around, and will be on a volunteer basis
- To regularly communicate to the rest of the trustee board via trustee meetings or any other communication, any relevant information and/or developments regarding fund raising or grant
applications.
Meetings are currently bi-monthly in the evenings with additional meetings/tasks undertaken as required.
About you:
We are looking for people who want to help their local community and work towards the eradication of food poverty whilst supporting the food bank to continue to provide emergency food to people who find themselves in crisis. Our ideal candidates would demonstrate:
- knowledge of and commitment to the work of Wythenshawe Foodbank
- a commitment to equality, social justice and the need to eradicate food poverty
- willingness to actively participate in discussions concerning the needs of the foodbank’s beneficiaries and staff, and act in the best interest of the charity
- sound, independent judgement and the ability to think creatively
- the ability to work effectively as a team member and demonstrate a willingness to learn and develop
The food bank would particularly welcome applications from those with experience in one (or more) of the following areas:
- Funding & Grants, for example:
- experience of fundraising and writing grant bids
- experience of promotion/influencing organisations and businesses regarding donations and fundraising
- Social Media, for example:
- creating digital and social media strategy and plans to increase engagement, internally in the charity and externally to the public
- communications and engagement experience using multiple platforms
Whatever your background, we want to make sure you are supported and empowered and enjoy your time volunteering with us. We know that having volunteers from a diverse range of backgrounds, with varying experiences, can help to make what we do as effective as possible. As such, we welcome all applicants regardless of age, background or beliefs. We also encourage those with lived experience of poverty to apply. So if you are a team player, committed to equality, social justice and eradicating food poverty we would love to hear from you!
Please fill in the application form and email our Chair, Tony by 30/06/25.
Email: [email protected]