“IT happened to us and it could happen to anyone.”


Those are the words of administration volunteer for the Lakes Vineyard’s foodbank, Sharon West.


She and her husband know exactly what it’s like to be faced with the choice of paying for food or fuel for your family in the run up to Christmas.
Around five years ago they had to call upon the help of a local foodbank when they both found themselves out of work.


Having only acquired the administrative role three weeks ago, she says the foodbank, located on Cross Street, Enniskillen, is in such high demand, it could run every day of the week.


But unless more volunteers come forward, it will never be able to reach its full potential.


As the foodbank prepares to enter into its busiest time of the year, she is appealing for more people to offer their help.


“We definitely need volunteers,” she told The Impartial Reporter.
“We need more people to help it grow. I can see its potential. Unfortunately we live in an age where there is a real necessity for foodbanks.


“We have been there ourselves, so I know just how prevalent it is.
“To look at myself and my husband you wouldn’t think that we were the kind of people who would need a foodbank. But it just goes to show that it’s not just one kind of person who uses a foodbank. People who are in work can find themselves needing to use it, with incomes so low and living costs so high, particularly at this time of year.


“And when you’re in that situation, you feel ashamed and you feel desperate. You have a child to look after and you find yourself feeling like a failure, having to choose between feeding them or keeping them warm.”


The foodbank Sharon and her family used was a life-changer.
“We didn’t actually go to a foodbank, someone actually came to us and said: ‘I hear you need some help’.
“It was a very humbling experience and a huge stepping stone for us to get on our feet again,” she recalls, “And we have seen that time and time again in here too. When people walk through that door, for the first time in a long time they feel like they are being treated like a human being again. From my own experience, it made you believe in humanity again, in people’s kindness.


“It gives you a bit of hope, a light at the end of the tunnel -- that is the biggest thing.
“Now for us when we see people coming through that door, we want to treat them with the greatest of respect because we can relate to what they are facing.”


Sharon first learned of the Lakes Vineyard when she was looking for a foodbank to donate food to.
It was a discovery that has changed her family’s lives entirely.


“I wasn’t particularly religious before that. But when I came to the foodbank, I got talking to the Pastor and the people in the church and I found there was no judgement at all.
“Having God in our lives has brought me a peace I have never experienced before and I just wanted to get more and more involved,” says Sharon.
“The feeling that you get from helping people -- knowing that you have been in that situation yourself, it is amazing.
“It is a real ‘feel good factor’ for yourself and I suppose, in a way, that is a selfish feeling. But at least you know that what you are doing is helping someone who will be able to go home that night and eat a meal -- you’ve made things a little easier for them.”


And with their own experience behind them, Sharon says their foodbank offers far more than just food to those in need.
“This foodbank is far more than just what the name suggests,” she insists, “Our volunteers sit down and talk to people, work out what their needs are, and signpost them to the services they need.
“We are with them from day one, right through to the end of the process, to help them manage things better.
“When we are giving out food, we can give set menus with information on how to cook different meals with the food they have.”


According to Sharon, the foodbank currently has around 20 volunteers.
She is hoping to double that figure if the facility is to run on a daily basis.
“There are so many roles people could play if they came forward to volunteer,” she says, “We need people to sort our food at our warehouse, to collect food from the supermarkets, to help signpost people to the right help, to just sit with people and talk to them when they come in here and to reach out to others in the community.
“A floating volunteer base of 40 people would just be amazing.”

The foodbank gave out 380 Christmas hampers last year.
The facility is now looking for individuals, groups, businesses and schools to help out on December 6 any time between 10.30am and 2pm you can do an hour. Contact Gavin Connolly on 07850851824 or alternatively gavin.connolly@volunteernow.co.uk for more information. The Lakes Vineyard foodbank in Enniskillen is currently open every Wednesday 10am - 12 noon and Friday 2pm - 4pm.