This January, we held our first food bank collections for the local community. Food banks play a crucial role in supporting individuals and families facing food insecurity. Donations to food banks help ensure people in need have access to nutritious meals, offering relief during difficult times. Our local community, where we as a business reside and many of our staff live has recently seen a surge in people needing additional support to feed their families, and as such have recently opened up a food bank for those in need. After seeing this new cause, we knew that we could provide some support through donations.
Why Help?
The Trussell Trust, one of the leading charities that operates a network of food banks in the UK, has shared the shocking statistic that ‘More than 1.4 million emergency food parcels were distributed to people experiencing hardship between 1 April and 30 September 2024‘. This is 69% higher than the same period five years ago. With the cost of living ever increasing, it is hardly surprising that more and more of us are having to turn to charities like the Trussell Trust for help.
With the use of food banks on the rise, the collections have spread, with other charities like The Salvation Army offering the service, and even schools and community groups, have now began to set up their own collections to help families in need. Not only is the community we reside within very important to us, and thus helping those less fortunate is a priority to our team, but supporting this cause also helps to reduce potential food waste, which is always a message we try to promote. With this being said, as the new year began, we decided to start our own Food Bank collection – encouraging all our staff to add a few extra items to their shopping list to donate, or even check their cupboards for any items they don’t need but others in need will make use of.
Cromwell Help to Fight Hunger
Running throughout January, we set up 2 collection points where our team could donate items for those less fortunate. We encouraged staff to bring in items that were described by the local food banks as ‘in need of’ – this included tinned food such as fish, meats, fruit and vegetables, it also encouraged items such as biscuits, cereal, jams, pasta and sauces. The rule of thumb was that all donations were highly appreciated, but they must have a good shelf-life, be unopened and not contaminated in any way. Despite the name, food wasn’t the only item requested by collection points – toiletries were also in need, as well as household goods. The team’s efforts were brilliant, with 4 large bags of goods ready to be donated to the Sherburn In Elmet Food Bank. An array of tinned food items, including a range of soups, beans and veggies, alongside pasta, rice and flour were some of the significant items collected. We also have 10 different hygiene and toiletry items, including body wash, shampoo, and toilet roll. Our final donation was a range of different bin liners and refuse sacks, which are among the highly requested household items on the list. The team made a fantastic effort, and the organisers of the food bank were extremely grateful for our contribution.
All for a good cause!
The four bags of goods were donated to the local community centre, which will now be organised into food parcels ready to be collected for anyone who needs a bit of extra support. We hope that our efforts will make a difference to a family in need.