As reported in September 2019, we have committed to supporting local Foodbanks and the excellent work they do for their communities. We’re delighted to share more information about how we’re helping them.
Four charities have been selected to receive £5,000 over 5 months (£1,000 per month), using our donations on a variety of needs including food provision, staffing, storage or premises, to ensure that the foodbanks are able to continue to function. Essentially, however they deem fit to gain maximum benefit.
Recently, Simple Life staff visited Atherton & Leigh foodbank which has received its donations across July to November 2019. Over the course of their 5 days per week opening times they’ll see around 150 people come to use their services.
We also went along to The Big Help Project in Knowsley who again received their funding in July to November. Requiring more than 55 tonnes of food every year, they are able to store just 8 tonnes at a time. They’re also more than just a foodbank – they have now created ‘food clubs’, the step after foodbanks, where people can pay just £3.50 for a large bag of shopping, selecting items of their choice within ranked allocation. They also have a ‘painting green’ initiative, where users can purchase recycled paint to help around their home. Their charity furniture shops and ‘fresh start’ housing initiative aims to rehouse vulnerable people and help break the poverty cycle.
All the foodbanks we are supporting, excluding The Well, are part of the Trussel Trust. TT serve over 1,2000 foodbanks across the UK, providing over 820,000 emergency food parcels in just 6 months. They have acknowledged that the primary reasons for referral to foodbanks are low income, changes to benefits and delays to benefit payments. They believe that the key to breaking the poverty cycle is reducing the long wait for Universal Credit, ensuring benefits cover the cost of living, and investing in local emergency support for people in crisis.
We are proud to provide a level of income to enable them to continue to work hard to influence these changes and support their communities.
All images courtesy of The Big Help Project, used with thanks.