Tag Archives: foodbank

Charity & CSR, News, Property, South East

Essex foodbank benefits from housebuilder’s egg-themed donation

A kind-hearted housebuilder has donated more than 20 baskets of Easter eggs to Chelmsford Foodbank for local people to enjoy.

Developer Barratt and David Wilson Homes Eastern Counties – which is headquartered in Chelmsford and builds new homes across the county – has provided the foodbank with baskets full of seasonal treats to help spread happiness after Easter.

Sales Director at Barratt and David Wilson Homes Eastern Counties, Annette Hurst, delivered the supplies to the foodbank for its beneficiaries to enjoy.

Clive Pickett, Volunteer at Chelmsford Foodbank, said: “On behalf of all those in food poverty in our city who have received some of the Easter eggs for their families, thank you to Barratt and David Wilson Homes for thinking of us and them at this special time of year. We are so grateful of the support.”

Located on Beehive Lane, Chelmsford Foodbank is part of a nationwide network supported by the Trussell Trust, a charity that works to end hunger and poverty in the UK. They provide three-day emergency food parcels to those in need, as well as providing users with toiletries and other additional items, such as pet food.

Annette said: “It was a pleasure to be able to donate Easter eggs for local people to enjoy. As well as building new homes for the community, we have a strong belief in supporting the areas where we build and strengthening our relationship with the local community.

“Chelmsford Foodbank plays such an important role in helping vulnerable people in the area, and we hope to be able to continue to support the commendable work that they do.”

Food collection points are located in Chelmsford at local superstores, including Tesco on Princes Road, Asda at Chelmer Village Centre, and Asda South Woodham Ferrers.

Chelmsford Foodbank is open Monday to Friday from 9:30am to 12:30pm.

Items which the foodbank is currently in need of include crisps, sponge puddings, cuppa soups, powdered custard sachets, tea bags, long life fruit juice, long life milk, and powdered potato sachets.

For more information on the foodbank or to make a donation, visit https://chelmsford.foodbank.org.uk/.

 

More information on the homes being built by Barratt and David Wilson Homes Eastern Counties can be found by visiting www.barratthomes.co.uk or www.dwh.co.uk, or calling 033 3355 8488 (Barratt Homes) or 033 3355 8489 (David Wilson Homes).

Charity & CSR, Construction, News

Housebuilder donates £500 to support charities food parcel project

A Bury St Edmunds-based charity was given an extra helping hand towards its Christmas project to provide 600 food parcels for vulnerable people throughout East Anglia.

Gatehouse, which is based at Dettigen Way, was given £500 by local housebuilder Bellway Eastern Counties, which is building new homes at Bronze Fields in Bury St Edmunds, as well as other locations across Cambridgeshire, Suffolk and Lincolnshire.

Amanda Bloomfield, CEO of Gatehouse, said: “In 2021 we delivered 600 food parcels to the vulnerable and the needy just in time for Christmas.

“The average cost of a food parcel is £10, so Bellway’s very kind donation directly impacted 50 families who are in need, across East Anglia.

“The project aims to deliver parcels to families from all walks of life, including those in emergency need. It is essential we try and help at a time which can be really difficult for many people.

“The charity has been running since 1986 and was originally set up as a Christian family service. We currently have some paid staff members and 25 longstanding volunteers.

“We have around 100 volunteers on Christmas Day, as we also provide a three-course meal and entertainment for people who would normally be alone at Christmas.”

The Christmas Project is one of four project areas covered by Gatehouse’s work. The charity also runs a foodbank, a community wellbeing project and a home store, which provides donated furniture and appliances to those on benefits or with low incomes.

Head of Sales for Bellway Eastern Counties, Rhiannon Jones, said: “The winter period can be difficult for a lot of struggling families and it’s projects like this that can make that time a little easier.

“The work Gatehouse does throughout the year is incredibly important and helps hundreds of people in need.

“As a local housebuilder, we are pleased to be able to help a charity that directly benefits those living in the local communities in which we build.”

More information about Gatehouse is available on the charity’s website at www.gatehouse.org.uk.

For details about Bellway’s new homes in the area, visit https://www.bellway.co.uk/new-homes/eastern-counties/bronze-fields or call the sales office on 01284 545375.

Captions:

  • Amanda Bloomfield, CEO of Gatehouse, with Rachael Gatehouse, Sales Manager for Bellway Eastern Counties
Charity & CSR, News

Bourne Foodbank welcomes generous donation from local housing developer

A housebuilder based in Bourne has delivered a loaded car boot full of supplies to Bourne Foodbank, following a collection held by staff at its head office.

Allison Homes, which is building new homes across the East, donated the food for those in need of essential supplies this Christmas.

Bourne Foodbank, based off Spalding Road, is part of a nationwide network of foodbanks supported by The Trussell Trust, which works to combat poverty and hunger across the UK.

The local foodbank, which opened in 2013, is run by Churches Together as a service to Bourne and the surrounding villages, and has over 40 volunteers and trustees who work to assist as many people in need as possible.

Maureen Cornell, Operations Manager at the Bourne Foodbank, said: “We are delighted with the generous donation from the staff at Allison Homes and we know many families will be blessed by the items over the Christmas period.”

Samantha Hart, Sales and Marketing Director at Allison Homes, said: “As a responsible housebuilder, we believe it is hugely important to help local people and organisations however we can.

“Christmas is all about coming together, and nobody deserves to go hungry, especially during the festive period.

“It has been a huge pleasure to be able to contribute to Bourne Foodbank and those who benefit from its services, and we hope our donation will offer a helping hand to those in need.”

A food collection point is located at Tesco in Bourne, open Monday to Saturday from 6am to midnight, and Sunday from 10am to 4pm. Foodbank opening hours are Tuesday, 1pm to 3pm and Friday, 9am to 11am.

Items which the foodbank is currently in need of are baked beans, UHT milk, jam, marmalade, fruit juice, squash, shampoo, washing up liquid, laundry washing liquid or powder, and soap or liquid handwash. Tinned items include soup, fish, fruit, ham, pies, custard and vegetables.

For more information on how to make a donation to Bourne Foodbank, visit https://bournefoodbank.org.uk/how-to-help/. More information on Allison Homes can be found at https://allison-homes.co.uk/.

Charity & CSR, Midlands News, News, Property

Foodbank receives support from city housebuilder

A city foodbank charity which fed 35,000 people last year has been given a funding boost by a local housebuilder.

Coventry Foodbank, which has the largest foodbank warehouse in the country and gave out 280 tons of food last year, has been given £500 by Bellway’s South Midlands division, which has its regional headquarters in the city.

The foodbank, which was set up 10 years ago, is based at the Halo Centre in Progress Way. It provides a box of three days’ worth of food supplies and toiletries to people who are given food vouchers by a range of agencies including the city council, the NHS and Citizens Advice.

Hugh McNeill, project manager at Coventry Foodbank, said: “We are funded by public donations which provide us with the financing to ensure we can carry on providing food at our 12 foodbank centres in the city.

“This very generous donation from Bellway will give us a much-welcome boost after a very hard time for everyone. The public have continued to support us incredibly well during the pandemic but things have been tough.

“In 2019, we fed 28,000 people and last year we fed 35,000 people. Of that number, approximately 14,000 will be children under the age of 16.

“In the first few weeks of the pandemic, with people being furloughed and laid off, we saw a 100 per cent increase in people accessing our foodbanks. That demand eased off but we have been busier than ever.

“We will use the £500 to support our commercial kitchen project. We are setting up a kitchen in the warehouse so that we can train people with catering skills.

“While we train the people they will be making ready meals or soup for use at the foodbank. The idea is to furnish them with skills that can be used to help them gain employment.

“We very much see this sort of training programme, which will also include any tutoring people may need to gain maths or English skills, as the future role of foodbanks.

“Our ethos is that this foodbank should be a hand-up not a hand-out and the money from Bellway will help us provide that.”

Elaine Brown, Head of Sales at Bellway South Midlands, said: “The pandemic lockdown must have put an incredible strain on charities such as the Coventry Foodbank for many reasons.

“This is a brilliant charity that is funded by public donations which allow it to carry on its work and can literally be life-saving. Their food boxes help put food on the tables of thousands and thousands of men, women and children in Coventry every year.

“We are always pleased to support local charities who do such good work to support people and families and there is no doubt that Coventry Foodbank is at the forefront of reaching out and providing immediate and much-needed assistance and support to the local community.”

For more information about the charity visit coventry.foodbank.org.uk.

Bellway’s South Midlands division is currently based at Oak House, Binley Business Park, having recently relocated to new larger premises in the city.

The housebuilder is also building new homes at developments in Warwickshire, Oxfordshire, Worcestershire and Northamptonshire.

For more information about any of the developments visit bellway.co.uk.

CAPTIONS –

  • Jeané Izautenbach (left) from the Halo Centre, Coventry with Jess Bray (right) of Bellway South Midlands