Welcome to the website!

I am the co-ordinator of PATCH and on June 3rd PATCH will be 5 years old.To celebrate I have set myself the challenge of living below the poverty line, which means I will live on just £1 a day for 5 days. This includes ALL food and drink - and I like my food.I cannot take anything from the store cupboard not even a pinch of salt.
This challenge is to raise awareness of poverty.
You can make a donation here, Just Giving.com. Please be generous as I will find this difficult, especially drinking very cheap tea! The dates of my challenge are 30th May until 3rd June.
Thank you
Tracy

We will be celebrating our 5th birthday in June 2013 and to mark this momentous achievement, we will be holding a Hollywood themed party.

Please click the image of the poster to the right for more information via the full size version.

       

There is more poverty on our doorstep than most of us are aware of. Our aim and Christian response is to relieve hardship and poverty in our community. A food parcel and/or clothing voucher can give temporary but immediate relief. We set up MATCH in June 2008 and in January 2010 we became PATCH to reflect our concern for the whole of Pembrokeshire.
September 2010 we opened in Monkton and June 2011 we opened in Haverfordwest.

We have set up “Basics Banks” of non-perishable food, clothing and toiletries, donated by churches, schools and various other organisations or individuals. This makes it possible to provide for the needs of an individual or family in a crisis situation. People find themselves in financial crisis for many reasons, for example: losing employment and waiting for benefits, homelessness, or marriage breakdown. So working on a referral-only basis from outside agencies such as Health Workers, Support Agencies, Social Services and others with first hand knowledge, Basics Bank Vouchers are given to those who are in an emergency situation.
A food parcel consists of breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and drinks for up to 5 days.

We provide some small household items, from cutlery and plates to bedding and towels. Small electrical items (toasters, kettles etc.) are PAT tested before being given out.

Christmas 2010 we held our first toy appeal "Christmas Completed" With the help of Radio Pembrokeshire and NatWests' joint toy appeal we were able to give 4/5 good quality gifts to each of the 260 children referred to us. In 2011 we gave to 360 children and 2012 we gave to 450 children.

What We Need

We need all clothing from underwear to coats and everything in between, with a particular need for men’s and boys’ clothes; there are more ladies’ items donated than anything else, and there can be a shortage of clothes for men.

Clothing of any quality can be donated, as all textiles and shoes, even in terrible condition, can be sent for recycling and this raises money for the project. The only textiles we cannot recycle are those with duvet type fillings – pillows cushions etc.

For the Food side of the project we need tinned food, packets, and any non-perishables that are in date. We cannot use dented tins even if they have been bought that way. Everything is thoroughly checked before being handed out.
PATCH also need financial donations for running cost, utilities, and volunteer expenses.

If you would like to volunteer please contact us and arrange a “taster session”.