The café has experienced a consistent influx of clients and new registrants this year, and they have now welcomed three new volunteers to the team. They have also developed a close relationship with the local Police Beat Officer which will help inter-organisation relations. Plans for a new food bank are now in advanced stages and the team hopes to make an announcement soon.
The café has recently introduced “volunteer voices” sessions, where volunteers have a chance to share feedback, ideas, concerns and suggestions with one another, the manager and the Chair of Trustees. This team bonding time enables everyone at Pathway to feel empowered and valued. As a result of its success, this is something that will now occur on a bi-monthly basis.
Paul, who has been volunteering at Pathway for four months, says: “I definitely recommend volunteering at Pathway. It is a very rewarding experience. I like making a difference to our community and being part of the team has been of great value to me.”
Last winter, Pathway was selected by Sainsbury’s Great Yarmouth as their charity for the Christmas period, when they collected donations at the tills from their customers. This raised a total of £7600, part of which was used to purchase a new hot cabinet for the kitchen.
Manager Jenni King says: “I genuinely believe we are doing great work for the community and we have such a wonderful team that it is a nice place to be. I have lots of ambitious and exciting plans for the future and I am excited for what is to come. I just want to take this opportunity to thank everybody who has helped Pathway in any way, as without every little component being contributed we wouldn’t be able to do what we do.”
The Pathway Café and Resource Centre provides three course lunches for those in need within the local community each week on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays 12noon-1pm for a takeaway meal and lunch bag. The Pathway Team is always grateful for any gifts of fresh food and donations to support this work.
The centre is at The Minster Mission, Admiralty Road, Great Yarmouth, NR30 3DG
For more information, e-mail Jenni at jenk.pathwaygy@gmail.com
Or ring: 07985 785738
This article originally appeared on Network Norfolk, photos are courtesy of Network Norfolk and Pathway.