You might have received this letter in your recent food parcel. For anyone who is a client but has lost the letter – here it is agin just in case.
Foodbank News: Ash Villages Food Parcels Project
Dear friends and neighbours,
Greetings from the Ash Villages Food Parcels Project. Whether your food parcel is a one-off, or you use us every month, we are here to help you in difficult times. The volunteer team are amazing, please join us in thanking them all! We are sending this letter to let you know about cut off times, bank holidays community groups and the community fridge.
Cut-off time for requests is 5pm
Please remember that if you are already on our books and need a food parcel, the cut-off time for requests is 5pm on Tuesday nights for a Wednesday parcel or 5pm on Thursday nights for a Friday parcel. This is to allow the team to plan, shop and pack in time to send things out on the following morning. If you send a message after 5pm it will not be received in time. After 5pm our team will be busy preparing food parcels, not checking the phone. If you are late, we will add you to the next available list.
Bank Holidays: We are CLOSED on Good Friday 3rd April 2026
Just to make everyone aware, we will be closed on Good Friday. So please be sure to request a parcel on the Wednesday that week. You are very welcome to come to The Chapel (on Wharf Rd, near the doctors) on Good Friday for a free cuppa and hot cross bun. We will be serving hot cross buns from 11:30am until 1:00pm.
Come and use the Ash Vale Community Fridge:
Did you know? We don’t just run a foodbank; we also have the Ash Vale Community Fridge at The Chapel in the shed in our carpark. It is open 24/7 for people to donate good food that they don’t need and take whatever they can use. It is our way of making sure that nothing is wasted. If the foodbank brings you something you don’t like, why not pop it in here for someone else? And come and see if there is anything you fancy to take home. The foodbank team also puts surplus donations in here every week, (usually sandwiches, salad, veg) so that nothing we receive gets wasted. If you are passing, please also bring us your bags to re-use! We use over 100 carrier bags a week for food parcels, so we are happy to use them again if we can.
Join us for Community Café and other groups:
You are warmly invited to all our community groups and events at Ash Vale Chapel and St Mary’s Ash Vale. Here is a list of term time activities, these are all free / by donation:
St Mary’s Church (Vale Road):
- Tuesdays 10am baby and toddler group with bouncy castle, craft and song time
- Tuesdays 8pm Choir practise
- Friday 10am Community Café free cuppa, soup, sandwich or toastie for lunch
- Sunday Morning Service 10:30am (with Sundayschool, and after the service at about 11:45 we offer cuppa and chat, you can also ask for prayer after the service)
The Chapel (Wharf Rd, near the doctors)
- Mondays 9:30am Chapel Café free cuppa and lunch (usually casserole, chilli, curry or soup)
- Wednesday 11am Chapel Kids baby and toddler group with lunch club
- Wednesday 8pm Chapel Craft Club (bring your latest project and chat as you craft)
We wish you a peaceful Lent and a blessed Easter.
With our best wishes from the food parcels team and all of us at St Mary’s and The Chapel
Find us online: https://ash-vale.org.uk/foodparcels-2/
Find us on Facebook: @AshValeChapel
Foodbank Phone line: 07762136542 (phone / text / WhatsApp / iMessage)