Trustees needed!

Trustees Ely Foodbank 

Ely Foodbank, part of the Trussell Trust network, are looking for Trustees to join the board on a voluntary basis.   

We recognise that ending hunger is about more than food and so we provide compassionate, practical support to people in crisis to tackle the root causes that lock people into poverty. 

Our operations focus on three key aspects:  

• Providing emergency food to those in crisis. 
• Signposting effectively to other supportive services. 
• Directly helping people to build resilience and find long-term solutions to their issues. 

Ely Foodbank was launched in 2012 by the local churches working in partnership with a diverse range of organisations and members of the public across the city. Over the last 13 years Ely Foodbank has grown into a network of foodbank centres that provides emergency food and support from distribution centres in: Ely, March, Chatteris, Soham, Cottenham, Haddenham, Burwell and Waterbeach. We also have a central warehouse in Ely. 

Our values of dignity, justice, compassion and community are central to all that we do and support our aim to be an organisation where the diversity of all employees is valued.  

Whilst our vision is founded on and shaped by Christian principles, we welcome people of all faiths and none as long as you are committed to our values. 

As a Trustee you will have collective responsibility for the governance of the organisation and for all decisions made by the Board. Working with the CEO the Trustees set the strategic direction for the organisation, ensuring alignment to our 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 and the Management & Volunteer Team. 

We welcome applications from current volunteers and partner agencies but are also keen to hear from candidates not currently working with us who want to help their local community. We would particularly welcome applications from those: 

• Who may have used a foodbank and experienced some of the issues our clients face.  
• Represent different faith groups and communities across our region. 
• Those with specific skills in fundraising and marketing.  

Overall, we are seeking applicants who are willing to uphold the food bank’s values, and who can bring their life experience to the board.  

Commitment  

Minimum 

• Bi-monthly board meetings in the evening, three are face to face based in Ely and three are online. These generally last 2 hours and trustees are required to read all material in advance (est 1 hour)  
• Induction and occasional training to ensure skills are kept up to date  

Optional 

• Trustees can “own’ a specialist area like H&S/Policies/fundraising etc dependent on time available 
• Visit a distribution centre twice a year for assessment, meet volunteers, & maintain operational understanding 
• Attend Volunteer celebration evening in June 

How to apply  

If this interests you then please contact the Chair of Trustees initially for an informal chat or request an application form

The closing date for applications is 30th April 2025, following which successful applicants will be invited for an online interview with two other trustees.  We would also like applicants to visit a distribution point and our central warehouse accompanied by our CEO as part of this process.