A little bit about Provide Devon and what we offer…
Provide Devon is a Christian charity providing food to people in poverty within Plymouth and the surrounding area. Using a combination of fresh produce and donated surplus food from retailers, a requested food parcel can usually be provided to our referral agents within 24 hours. Our aim is to give individuals immediate relief from food insecurity while they explore longer term support through appropriate channels.
Provide Devon originally began as the “Community Food Share”, as a result of surplus food donations made to the Soup Run. Linking with local primary schools to see if any families would appreciate the food, it quickly became clear how great the need was. A few years later, and with 100’s of food hampers having been supplied across the city, the charity Provide Devon was born.
Provide Devon continue to work with education providers from pre-school through to Universities, as well as churches, charities, housing associations, Plymouth City Council, debt relief agencies and other community organisations. We continue to match the need for food with the surplus food within our community without compromising on quality.
MEET OUR TRUSTEES
Marc Nash
Chair
Marc is a Director at the Architects Design Group and has been actively involved in the property industry in Plymouth since qualifying as an architect in 1981. He has supported numerous charitable and social organisations during that time and has volunteered forn the Plymouth Soup Run, feeding the homeless of the City, since 2004. The opportunity to help with the work of Provide Devon was a welcome progression of a lifelong commitment to the social obligation to help the less fortunate within our community.
Christopher Hayter
Trustee
Chris is married to Caroline (Provide’s Treasurer) has two daughters and lives in Plymstock. He is a chartered accountant with wide experience of finance roles in business ranging from oil and gas exploration and production, power generation, local bus operations and shopfitting. He has also worked for a range of charities including Dartington Hall Trust, Shekinah, and the University of Oxford before he joined Westcountry Schools Trust at Callington Community College in 2019. Chris has served as a trustee for a number of churches and for Open Doors International Language School in Plymouth; he joined the trustees of Provide Devon in early 2020.
Jean Potter
Trustee
Jean grew up in Plymouth and lived in various places in the UK before coming back to the south-west in 1995. Jean is a valued member of Hope Baptist Church and is involved with a variety of groups that support the elderly & housebound. Jean is also an active Trustee for CFO, a Christian conference ministry, which she helps to lead. Jean was delighted and honoured to become a Trustee for Provide Devon as this allows her to continue serving the vulnerable and disadvantaged in our community.
Dr Graham Stirling CBE
Trustee
Graham is a retired industrialist who continues to be actively involved in the Plymouth business and voluntary community. He is a Patron of the Shekinah Mission Charity, a board member of Plymouth Community Homes and chairman of the Plymouth Community Homes Manufacturing Services Board. He serves on the board of the Plymouth Area Business Council and is an External Trustee of the University of Plymouth Students Union. In 2001 he was appointed a CBE for his services to education and training and in 2015 was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Business by the University of Plymouth. Graham feels passionately about helping the disadvantaged in our society and is delighted to play his part as a Trustee of Provide Devon.
David Simpkins
Trustee
David is a professionally qualified and registered Social Worker. He has 40 years experience predominantly in children’s safeguarding and children in care services. He has mainly worked in Local Authorities but also in some large voluntary sector and charitable organisations such as Barnardo’s and the NSPCC. David has worked at all levels in Social Care and held Chief Officer posts with Plymouth City Council as Assistant Director for Children’s Social Care and Assistant Director for Adult Social Care. Before retirement, David was Associate Director of Adult Social Care for Plymouth Community Health Care – now Live Well South West – in this role he was involved in innovative work to integrate health and social care services in the City. David is passionate about supporting vulnerable people and sees his role as a Trustee of Provide as one means of enabling him to fulfil this. David is married to Alison and they both occasionally volunteer for Provide.
