Sue Beattie will be stepping down from her role as Operations Manager in late July, having been on staff since January 2016. The Foodbank in the Stroud District wouldn’t be where it is today without her servant-hearted, practical and compassionate leadership. It’s difficult to quantify the impact she’s had whilst in post, she’s consistently gone over and above to make sure all aspects of the Foodbank are running smoothly and efficiently, for those who find themselves at a point of need, for the volunteers, for all the agencies that work together in our network and many more.
Sue writes “My decision wasn’t taken easily, as I am incredibly proud of the work we all do for Foodbank and the positive impact this has on our customers. I have thoroughly enjoyed the challenge of managing such a diverse organisation and absolutely love knowing that this army of volunteers does so much good. However, I feel it is time to hand over the reins to someone new. There are lots of demands on my time away from work and I would like to devote more time to those. It will also be an excellent opportunity for my replacement to bring a fresh perspective to what we do and how we do it.”
We are delighted that she’ll continue to be highly involved, and from July will be running the Warehouse on a voluntary basis. It should be noted that on a recent Trussell Trust inspection the Warehouse received ‘top marks’ and we know from all who visit how impressed they are at the smooth, efficient running of this space and how it forms the hub of all the food distribution across our district.
Thereafter, Nikki Clarke, who has been working as Assistant Manager for the past two years will assume responsibility as overall Manager. Sarah Podolski will remain as our Office Administrator and we are delighted to welcome Amanda-Jane Strover to the team in a newly created role of Development Coordinator. Amanda is highly personable, with a strong community focus and background in business administration, customer service, marketing and event management.
Amanda will be working closely with our drop-in centres and referrers to make sure we continue to serve our clients and communities to the best of our abilities. Transitioning to these new roles during the Summer months will mean we will be up to speed by the time we enter the busy Autumn and Winter months.