Chance Changing Lives

🍽️🍽️GRUB FOR GOOD RAFFLE🍽️🍽️ With the Nantwich Food Festival approaching, we’ve teamed up with our amazing local hospitality friends to put together a brilliant fundraiser. For a £10 donation you will be entered into a raffle with a chance to win one of 7 hospitality prizes, generously donated by the hospitality community in Nantwich. You can enter as many times are you like. All proceeds will go to Chance Changing Lives. Every £10 donated will feed a local family of 4 for 2 weeks at our Community Pantry or provide a 2 course meal for 4 people at our Saturday Kitchen. Prizes include: 🍽️ St Martha - Feast for 8 people 🍽️ Cafe De Paris - Afternoon cheese for 2 people 🍽️ The Red Cow - Sunday roast for 4 people 🍽️ Bench Bistro - Afternoon tea for 2 people 🍽️ The Leopard - Dirty food feast for 6 people 🍽️ Three Wrens Gin - Gin tasting for 4 people 🍽️ Jordy's & Bar 6 - £50 pizza voucher & £50 bar tab (to be used on a Thursday at 6pm) To enter this amazing raffle please use the link below ⬇️⬇️ https://lnkd.in/e4cXzGW8 #ChanceChangingLives #SmallCharityBigImpact #CommunityPantry #SaturdayKitchen #Nantwich #Crewe #Donations #volunteering Our Terms and Conditions: This promotion is organised by Chance Changing Lives under society lottery registration LTR847 registered with Cheshire East Council, Charity number: 1177984 Date of the draw: 9th September 2024 Prizes will be issued in the form of a voucher from Chance Changing Lives. Vouchers must be redeemed by 30th November 2024 Entrants must be 16 years old or over

We were proud to host our wonderful friends from the The Guinness Partnership and Novus Property Solutions on Monday and to accept a fantastic food donation from Nikita and Kate. Our partnership with both organisations is crucial, enabling Chance Changing Lives to be making significant, meaningful differences to those in society who we serve with dignity and compassion. Thank you both xxx

Here at Chance we are extremely proud to provide all of our members with fresh fruit and vegetables every week. We believe in offering a balanced and nutritional selection of food and have lots on offer seasonally for our members to choose from. Most of our fruit and veg comes from Clem's Traditional Greengrocers with some also coming in from our collection points reducing food waste. Like the work that we do? To help us make a difference donate to us today ⬇️⬇️ https://lnkd.in/egK77TJc #ChanceChangingLives #SmallCharityBigImpact #CommunityPantry #SaturdayKitchen #Nantwich #Crewe #Donations #volunteering

Are you looking for a new challenge? Our new salaried role of Van Driver and Logistics Coordinator is now open for applications. 📍Around Crewe, Nantwich & Surrounding Areas ⏰ 7am-12pm, Monday & Friday (10 hours per week) 💷 Salary £23,020 pro rata (£11.80 per hour) 📧 To apply email [email protected] 📆 Closing date 30th June In this role you would be primarily responsible for supporting the smooth, efficient, and effective operation of the Community Pantry and other areas of the Charity to ensure that our shop is stocked with the necessary fresh and stock food items supplied through our network of donors and partnered stores throughout Crewe. This will be achieved by performing the store collections on Community Pantry opening days, supporting the stock management activities at the pantry and off-site storage, and ensuring the charity van is fully maintained and available for use by other charity volunteers and managers as needed. You will ensure that the people using the service and our volunteers are placed at the heart of everything the charity does in pursuit of its vision and mission. You will play a critical part in supporting disadvantaged families and children in the community. You will be an ambassador for Chance and will contribute to significantly reducing environmental food waste. Key Requirements • Must be 30 years of age or older (due to insurance considerations). • A full clean driving license. • Demonstrated strong communication skills. • Ownership minded and driven. • Physically fit and active due to the nature of the work. • Ability to plan work and act with initiative. You can find further details of the job listing here: https://lnkd.in/e9cFx3z4

⭐️⭐️ MEET THE VOLUNTEER ⭐️⭐️ 1/2 I started my volunteering role in March 2023. At that time Chance Changing Lives were hiring volunteers. Having been 15 months into early retirement my wife suggested I volunteer. Clearly, I was getting in the way at home! I had never volunteered in my life, so this was to be a very new experience for me. I have volunteered regularly in the Community Pantry and at the Saturday Kitchen. However, my first role with Chance was supporting the food collections in our little Nissan van. Basically, the role entails performing early morning food collections from the local stores on a Monday and Friday, collecting food which the stores can no longer sell and is destined for landfill sites. We collect it and distribute it out to our services users as part of their weekly shop at the community pantry. Typically, we are collecting chilled food, fresh breads and pastries and vegetables of which families can take as much as they need. In addition to the regular Monday and Friday morning store collections, we also collect from our donation’s stations dotted around the area, collect bulk food deliveries from some of our larger benefactors and support other local Charities to support their logistical needs as and when they need our services. And we regularly move our own stock backwards and forwards from our offsite storage facilities to the pantry and vice versa. You may have seen our little van eagerly driving around the streets of Crewe and Nantwich, collecting all manner of goods to keep our Community Pantry stocked. However, you may not always hear it. As well as doing our bit for recycling food waste, our little Nissan is electric powered, meaning it’s also kinder to the environment. We take our environmental responsibilities to the community very seriously. We love our little Nissan van and if you do see us passing by, give us a wave or a toot on your horn. Volunteering for Chance Changing Lives ultimately led me to the position of General Manager, and I was very humbled and privileged to take up this role in December 2023. This has become the most fulfilling, challenging and emotionally charged role I've ever had. I've laughed and cried in equal measure. Sometimes when we have a particularly tough engagement to support our service users the emotions can get to me a bit. But working with our services users to improve their life circumstances has to be one of the most rewarding experience I have ever had. I have met so many people from all walks of life needing our support, it really hits home just how close we all are to finding ourselves in the most difficult circumstances through nothing more than chance. It’s why the work we do is so critical to those who come to us in need. It’s literally life changing. Over the last few days, you will have read stories and testimony from our volunteers as we celebrate National Volunteer week.

⭐️⭐️ MEET THE VOLUNTEER ⭐️⭐️ I spent a long and very interesting professional career working in Criminal Justice. I have lots of experience of working with people from all types of backgrounds but I did not get a lot of exposure of working in the charity sector. In 2017, along with four like minded friends, we became concerned about the growing number of homeless people in Crewe and decided that we could make a valuable contribution to their everyday lives. Within a few months we had set up the charity and started to recruit a team of volunteers. Seven years later, the charity continues to grow. As the Chair of Trustees, I probably give upto 20 hours of my time each week. We have 5 trustees, all volunteers as well as 50 other volunteers. Our volunteers alone donate over 5,000 hours per year. The charity would not exist without our volunteers. Each volunteer brings their own skills, knowledge and talent. They come from a diverse range of backgrounds and provide a 'dream team' to support our service users. Everyone is a valuable asset to the charity and they all make a huge impact on the people we support. On a personal level, I have learnt so much over the past seven years. I have met so many volunteers and each one has made their unique contribution. I feel very fortunate to be Chair of this charity and to have the opportunity to work alongside such a kind, committed and loyal bunch of talented volunteers. A huge heartfelt thank you to all the volunteers out there, we certainly couldn't exist without you ~ Sandra, Trustee & Volunteer ~

A day in the Community Pantry… Our first volunteers arrive at 7am to sort out the fresh fruit and veg delivery. This includes bagging the potatoes and filling the shelves. Our volunteers then complete the necessary paperwork and check the fridge and freezer temperatures, before making sure all the shelves are full and restocking where required. At 8am more volunteers start to arrive as our van driver arrives with the first delivery. This can include chilled food, fresh bread and pastries and more fruit and veg. This is all unloaded onto the shelves ready for when our doors open at 8:30. We welcome our pantry members with warm smiles and a listening ear. As well as assisting them with their shop, we also provide practical support and referrals where necessary. We can provide referrals to Pennysmart for help to manage money, to St Paul’s for Furniture, or to Motherwell for school uniform and baby items among other places. At 10am we get our second delivery from the van which we unload, label and put straight onto the shelves, as well as restocking throughout the day for popular items, for example beans and sausage in a tin. Sometimes we have special offers on, this can be anything from a free slow cooker provided by Crewe Town Council, to chocolate close to its best before date. We also let our members know whether there are any free courses like the Cookery Club or one off podiatry appointments. We also have the volunteers who are trained in assessment and mentoring. They arrive at 11.45 to confidentially meet and assess our potential new referrals. Each Monday and Friday they carry out three sensitive assessments on new people who have been referred to us by GP surgeries, schools, social workers, health visitors and mental health teams. It is a very rewarding experience where empathy, kindness and a supportive approach is essential. Our volunteers have all these qualities and more. When the pantry closes at 12pm our volunteers set to work cleaning up. Wiping the shelves, brushing up and mopping so that we’re all ready for the next shift. Then it’s off home for a well deserved cup of tea! If this sounds like somewhere you’d like to volunteer, please email us at [email protected] for more information and to apply.

Saturdays with Chance Changing Lives are often busy, but extremely rewarding.

Ever wondered what it’s like to be a Saturday Kitchen Volunteer? Then wonder no more. This is a day in the life of the Saturday Kitchen…. The first volunteers begin to arrive at 1:30pm, this is to begin the meal preparations. It’s a bit like Ready Steady Cook where all the ingredients are laid out on the side ready to go, except our volunteers know exactly what they’re preparing in advance. Next comes peeling, chopping and dicing the veg while the ovens heat up. We have to do the washing up as we go because our dedicated pot wash isn’t in until later on. While the food is cooking, other volunteers begin to arrive and will lay the tables in the dining area, as well as making sure the hot drinks station is ready to go and the urn is filled in preparation. At 3:30pm our outreach services like the nurse, podiatry or bra measuring service will set up in a private room ready to see our service users in a personal and confidential space. It is also the time when the rest of our volunteers arrive ready to take their stations. This includes setting out clothing and toiletries which are all offered for free to those service users in need. At 4pm the doors open and service begins. Each service user is given a 2 course meal by Front of House volunteers, and there is always a listening ear available to anyone who needs it. Service users are free to sit and play cards or chat with their friends etc for the duration of the session. Anyone wanting seconds can do so from 5pm and service stops at 5:15pm. Once all of the service users have left, the Front of House staff clear the tables and sweep up, while the kitchen staff finish the dishes and clean down the kitchen. Finally after 5:30pm we take a deep exhale and feel a huge sense of achievement before we go home and cook our own tea!

⭐️⭐️ MEET THE VOLUNTEER ⭐️⭐️ I started volunteering for Chance Changing Lives during "lock down". So the concept was a little different to how it is now. Having retired I wanted to give something back to my local community and as Chance was a local charity it seemed an appropriate charity for me. I volunteer every Friday at the Pantry and I have to say I look forward to each and every Friday. You get a great sense of satisfaction being able to reach out to the people who attend the Pantry. It's not just about providing a bag of shopping it's about giving an opportunity to be a listening ear, to consider how else you can improve their quality of life and generally be respectful and empathic to each individual's situation. Our members often comment that we make their week not just by providing material support but by the way they are made to feel by the welcome they receive and the way they are treated. Being a volunteer for Chance is rewarding and fills me with pride. We refer to ourselves as the "The Chance Family". May it continue to develop and grow with the contribution of a wonderful group of people. ~ Julia, Community Pantry Volunteer ~