DCFA May-June 2011 Newsletter

1. The Devon & Cornwall Food Association Ltd (DCFA)
NEWSLETTER
May - June 2011
Spare Food is Share Food!
7 Whimple Street, Plymouth, Devon PL1 2DH Mobile: 07745819828 (text only) Email: saudigeoff@yahoo.co.uk Website: http://dcfa.webs.com
FOREWORD BY THE CHAIR DCFA has grown remarkably in its first year and to maintain
momentum it urgently needs enthusiastic volunteers who
Dear Friends and Supporters, can take on some of the jobs that Geoff currently
undertakes. Do please give this a little thought and, if you
This time just a year ago, a small group of individuals were can help in any way at all, get in touch with Geoff.
gathered in Catherine Street Baptist Church, listening to
two speakers telling us about FareShare UK. What was it
about? Simple! Obtaining surplus food from producers and Christine
suppliers, and passing it on to organisations dealing with Christine REID
the disadvantaged in our community and region. This was Chair
good food that would otherwise have gone to landfill, for DCFA Board of Trustees
whatever reason! The group was a little apprehensive... but
it was a project that seemed worthwhile and rewarding.
Now here we are about to start our second year. DCFA EDITORIAL COMMENT
started trading in February 2011 with fresh milk and now
other dairy products but, DCFA does not want to stop
there! DCFA really wants to move forward but it still has
I NTERNET Links. If you’re reading this on-line and come
across words with blue lettering that are underlined, then
you can click on these links and be taken directly to another
more challenges to face: site for more information on that particular topic. Put your
cursor over the link, hold down the Control (Ctrl) Key and click!
 DCFA needs warehouse or shop-type premises in Ed.
central Plymouth.
 DCFA needs some expert volunteer individuals to LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
undertake come important tasks such as:
From: Pearl WEBB
To: Geoffrey READ saudigeoff@yahoo.co.uk
 Conducting a Feasibility Study of suppliers, needy, rd
Sent: Tuesday, 3 May 2011
charitable organisations, etc., and,
Subject: THE DEVON & CORNWALL FOOD ASSOCIATION (DCFA)
 Financial matters and Fundraising. Dear Geoff
Thank you for you the continued weekly supply of milk! It’s
May I please make an appeal to you all to think hard about making a great difference to the running cost of the lunches.
this on behalf of DCFA and if you think you can be of help Thanks
in anyway then please do get in touch with our Company
Pearl
Secretary, Geoff READ.
Pearl WEBB
At the June 2011 Board Meeting, the Trustees will have Cook
some discussions and big decisions to make regarding how Elspeth Sitters House
Tel: (01752) 665424Fax: (01752) 224100
DCFA should move forward. Decisions that concern key Email: pearl.webb@plymouthageconcern.org.uk
personnel and whether it should rent premises. Plymouth Age Concern "... aims to improve the lives of older people"
The Devon & Cornwall Food Association Ltd. (DCFA) is a Private Company Limited by Guarantee.
Registered Company No. 07419679.
Registered Charity No. - DCFA is recognised by HMRC as a Charity for tax purposes under Reference XT27083.
Members of : Our Funder:
NCVO (The National Council for Voluntary Organisations) – Membership No. MEMBERVC/13004,
PTSC (The Plymouth Third Sector Consortium),
The Small Charities Coalition,
And Volunteering England – Membership No.1278747. … And Voluntary Donations.

2. F UTURE MEETINGS. All meetings are scheduled to start at
10.30 a.m. but are subject to change at short notice.
th
Tuesday, 5 July 2011
B EST Wishes to Major Lorraine RICHARDS, for her
st
birthday on Wednesday, 1 June 2011. Lorraine is a
Friend of DCFA. Have a lovely birthday Lorraine!
- General Board Meeting
(Plymouth Catherine Street Baptist Church)
nd
Tuesday, 2 August 2011
H APPY Birthday to Wendy CHAPMAN for her birthday
th
on Sunday, 12 June 1011. Wendy is a Trustee on
the DCFA Board. Thanks for all your hard work Wendy!
- General Board Meeting
(Plymouth Catherine Street Baptist Church)
th
Tuesday, 6 September 2011
M ANY Happy Returns to Neil PARSONS for his
st
birthday on Tuesday, 21 June 2011. Neil is a
Friend of DCFA. Happy Birthday Neil!
- General Board Meeting
(Plymouth Catherine Street Baptist Church)
th
Tuesday, 4 October 2011
B EST Wishes to Reverend Alison SHAW, for her - General Board Meeting
th
birthday on Sunday, 26 June 2011. Alison is a (Plymouth Catherine Street Baptist Church)
Trustee on the DCFA Board and also our Public Relations th
Tuesday, 8 November 2011
Officer. Thanks for all your hard work Alison!
- Annual General Meeting
(Plymouth Catherine Street Baptist Church)
DCFA NEWS th
Tuesday, 6 December 2011
A WARD. DCFA was fortunate to be invited to attend an
Awards Ceremony at the Holiday Inn in Plymouth recently
for the Drake Foundation Spirit of Community Awards. Our
- General Board Meeting
(Venue to be determined)
Chair, Christine REID, accompanied by Esme GOSS, our Milk
Volunteer Coordinator attended. Whilst DCFA didn’t win any
of the major awards we were pleasantly surprised and
A NNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2011. The DCFA AGM will
th
be held on Tuesday, 8 November 2011 and we’re
already looking for one or two Guest Speakers. Can you
honoured to receive a Certificate of Significant Achievement. help or do you know someone that might? Please contact
Please see the certificate at the end of this newsletter. Geoff (details at the top of Page 1).
F UNDRAISER. This is such a time-consuming occupation
but a very important post for us. DCFA is looking for
someone experienced in this field of expertise to help us in
A WORD FROM MARY CONWAY
DCFA Trustee & DCFA Liaison Officer
a voluntary capacity. Interested? Please contact Geoff
(details at the top of the page).
I LOVE Food. I love growing fruit, vegetables and herbs in
my Cornish garden, and I also love eating it... especially
when someone else has cooked it! I also care very much
DCFA MEETINGS about who gets fed, and how much, and who decides. As a
M AY 2011. Our May 2011 Meeting was held at 10.30 ‘Justice & Peace’ worker with the Plymouth RC Diocese, I
rd
a.m. on Tuesday, 3 May 2011 at the Theatre Royal know the issues of food production, distribution,
in Plymouth. We should like to thank the Management of consumption and the environment are complex. It is easy
the Theatre Royal for their generous hospitality. to feel powerless to change anything as an individual, even
when you have a vision of what needs to be changed. So
how fortunate am I then to have been invited to be part of
J UNE 2011. The next DCFA Board Meeting will take place
th
at 10.30 a.m. on Tuesday, 7 June 2011 at the Catherine
Street Baptist Church in Plymouth. If you have anything
DCFA, a dedicated group that has already started changing
things for the better?
you wish the Board to discuss then do please contact Geoff. This year I have been rather surprised to also find myself a
volunteer at our village community shop and a member of an
organic food co-operative. All these opportunities have been
DO YOU WISH TO given to me very recently by people I find inspiring and fun to
work alongside. So I’d like to extend the invitation to you... if
VOLUNTEER WITH DCFA? you care about who gets fed, if you care about our lovely
planet, please become a Friend, volunteer or benefactor of
Go on-line, download the Application Form, DCFA. Come and share the privilege of making a difference!
complete the details and submit it to Geoff.
. Mary Conway
Contact the DCFA Newsletter Editor at DCFA... details at the top of Page 1.
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3. DCFA NEEDS ITS OWN PREMISES! OTHER NEWS
H ELP Please! DCFA could do oh... so much more if only
it had its own premises in a central area of Plymouth!
Do you know of somewhere... an
I VYBRIDGE Comings & Goings.
th
Barn Dance at EST Ivybridge, Saturday, 14 May at 7.30
empty warehouse or shop that we p.m. to 11.30 p.m. Live Band and Caller, Bar and Hog
could utilise? DCFA could then start Roast. Tickets priced at £6 and must be purchased in
accepting the food produce that local advance. Please telephone the Centre on (01752) 690 200
producers have promised to supply us! for further information.
th
THIS IS A WAY THAT Donkey Summer Fair at EST Ivybridge, Saturday, 18 June
from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Demonstrations, Games & Stalls,
YOU Inflatables, BBQ, Donkey Carriage rides
and much, much more! Fun Family Dog
CAN HELP DCFA! Show from 2 p.m. Free entry and
T HIS IS AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM DCFA ASKING
FOR YOUR HELP!
parking. For more information, please call
the centre on (01752) 690 200.
Dear Friends & Supporters,
Car Boot Sales at EST Ivybridge on:
At a recent DCFA Board Meeting, the matter of renting
 Sunday, 26th June,
premises was discussed. DCFA needs somewhere in central
 Sunday, 24th July,
Plymouth.  Sunday, 21st August, and
It was recognised that this was a “chicken-and-egg”  Sunday, 25th September.
synopsis insofar as DCFA could only issue food if we could
actually get it and, if we had our own permanent premises The timings have yet to be confirmed!
in which to receive and issue it!
However, would it be worth renting premises if it
transpired that the donated food produce was not
forthcoming?
At that Board Meeting I therefore undertook to start
contacting food producers, wholesalers and supermarkets
to ask them what could they do for us.
Once we had some answers we might then be in a better
position to decide on whether we could justify paying out
S MALL Charity Week.
th
It’s official, the week starting
Monday, 20 June will be Small Charity Week 2011. The
Small Charities Coalition is supporting the Foundation for
good, hard-to-come-by cash for rented premises or not. Social Improvement who has set out themes for each day
However, before I actually write to Supermarkets and Food kicking off on the Monday with “I love Small Charities” day.
Producers I thought it might be beneficial to spend a little The Small Charities Coalition is putting the final touches to
time building up a database of those outlets we should their programme for the week to support these themes so do
approach. please check their dedicated webpage for more information.
And this is where you can help! Could you please send me
the details of any Wholesalers and Food Producers who you
think may help DCFA? I would need the following
information:
 Name of company:
 Producer supplied:
 Contact person:
 Postal Address:
 Landline telephone:
 Mobile telephone:


Email address:
Any additional information: Come
I look forward to hearing from you soon. In the meantime... join us!
please take a look at our website now and again!
Geoffrey N. READ
Company Secretary & Newsletter Editor
DCFA
Contact the DCFA Newsletter Editor at DCFA... details at the top of Page 1.
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4. Contact the DCFA Newsletter Editor at DCFA... details at the top of Page 1.
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