Biography of Penny

Penny co-manages Rye Food Bank. She has been doing this since January 2022.

Before Penny worked for the Food Bank she was an assistant head teacher at a school in Bethnal Green, London. She worked in the school for 35 years.

Penny also volunteers for the Refugee Buddy Project in Hastings, teaching English to Ukrainian refugees

In her spare time Penny likes to go sea swimming at Winchelsea Beach near Rye

Penny enjoys working for the Food Bank. She describes it as a ‘very rewarding position…I work with a fantastic team of volunteers…it is a privilege to be in that role.’

The Food Bank was serving around 20 to 22 families a week, but last autumn, with the Cost of Living increases, it went up to roughly 40 a week. The number does fluctuate, depending on need. Sometimes people come every week, others only come perhaps once a month, or less frequently. The Food Bank serves a range of clients from pensioners to families, carers and some working people. There is also advice available at the Food Bank – a debt and benefits advice service, and a direct link with Rother Housing. They try to be proactive at the Food Bank. They do not want people to become dependent on the Food Bank, but aim to help people who are in crisis. The aim is to enable people to help manage their lives and move on. The Food Bank relies on donations from individuals and local businesses.

Penny loved her job as a teacher and assistant head. It was ‘incredibly rewarding’ she says, despite the long hours and often challenging behaviour. She also worked in Child Protection in the school for five years. When she started teaching there were few women in senior positions but now there are a lot more women. She now worries that there are too few male teachers working in primary schools.

Audio of interview with Penny