Andys farewell interview
After 12 fantastic years, our Operations Manager Andy Bower is bidding farewell to WDF.
Andy joined the food bank in 2013, having already had a varied career working for local government, several IT companies and running his own restaurant. Andy’s sister Helen, who worked for Queen’s Road Baptist Church in Coventry, suggested the opportunity to Andy, who at the time was volunteering as a chef at the Church café. On starting this new role, Andy recalls "I was thrown in at the deep end, learning as I went along about the job, learning about Trussell, talking to lots of different referral agencies, it was all brand new compared to my career before.”
When Andy joined, the food bank was serving Warwick and Leamington only, under the guidance of St Paul’s church. “We started in a tin shed with a leaking roof at All Saints Church in Emscote. I had to persuade people to let me use their garage space for storage and we were using garages all over the place in Warwick, Balsall Common and Bubbenhall – the logistics were a nightmare. There was no company vehicle either until we were generously donated a second hand Peugeot estate that became our first official vehicle. It is safe to say it is a much more professional outfit now!”
hin two years of joining, the food bank became a standalone charity and then a couple of years after that it merged with Kenilworth Foodbank to create Warwick District Foodbank. Andy has faced challenges along the way and, like for most charities, the pandemic presented a particularly challenging time. “Just before the pandemic struck we were kindly donated a warehouse to use by Baxi. But, when the pandemic hit, we could not access this and so had to move all of our stock to St Mary’s Church. Demand shot up and we could only see one client at a time, serving them from the church entrance and volunteer numbers had to be restricted. One of my proudest achievements was generating significant funding during this time, making a proposal to Saltisford Church who made a generous donation and facilitating many applications for different grants . In total, I managed to secure nearly £50,000 in extra funds to support us through this difficult period.”
Andy’s biggest highlight is the Financial Inclusion Project that he implemented in 2024. "Getting a successful Financial Inclusion Project off the ground has been a long journey. We have always had the drive to provide this additional support in each of our centres and, with lots of persistence, we have finally put something tremendous in place that has truly changed the outlook of our clients.” The project has already changed the lives of 79 clients, who no longer need to use the food bank as a result of the support that they have received. Andy adds “We couldn’t have done this without our brilliant caseworker Ellie from Citizens Advice who has been very dedicated and created lots of engagement."
The Christmas Trussell Tesco Food Drives led by Andy have also given the food bank a much-needed boost in donations during the busiest time of the year. "The spirit and generosity of the shoppers has increased year on year and whilst quantities of donations have dropped due to times being hard for everyone, the quality of donations is better as we are targeting the food bank’s most needed items.” This is a team effort that could not be achieved without support from individual volunteers and local companies. “We have had great support for these events from local companies, such as Kantar and Jaguar Land Rover. They have been stalwarts during the last five years and we couldn’t have done it without them.”
Now the time has come for Andy to hang up his bottle green uniform and enjoy his well-earned retirement. And what a legacy Andy leaves behind! But he won't be slowing down any time soon. With his long list of travel plans (starting off with New Zealand), a wine course, and new volunteering opportunities in the pipeline, he already has plenty to look forward to.
And what will Andy remember most about his time at Warwick District Foodbank? “In the end it is all about the people. The friendships I have made with other staff and volunteers has been a joy. Whilst I am saddened that we have to provide a food bank service, I am pleased we are helping those in need. It has been one of my longest employments and I have certainly ended my career on a high working for the food bank. I have thoroughly enjoyed it.”
WDF is very grateful to Andy for his hard work and wholehearted dedication to the food bank during the past 12 years and wishes him all the very best for the future!
