This Harvest we’re asking you to help feed local people in crisis by collecting tinned and dried food for Braintree Area Foodbank. We need everyone to rally round to give items such as cereal bars, chocolate bars, jam, sponge puddings and instant mashed potato amongst other goods on our Harvest Festival shopping list.
With the Covid-19 pandemic we have seen new challenges along with our usual need within the community.
“Families have been hit the hardest and at the start of the pandemic, over 50% of people who used a Foodbank in the Trussell Trust network had never needed one before. Research also shows that Foodbanks are forecast to give out six emergency food parcels every minute this winter”.*
Many families hit a crisis and cannot afford food. Today, people are going hungry in their own homes. Rising food and fuel prices, static incomes, high unemployment and changes to benefits are causing many families to struggle to put food on the table but the good news is that you can be part of the solution.
Braintree Area Foodbank helps local individuals and families in crisis through the provision of emergency food supplies which are donated by churches, schools, businesses and the general public then distributed through our four centres in Halstead, Witham and Braintree. The circumstances surrounding a crisis are unique to every individual, so the Foodbank partners, with voluntary organisations and frontline care professionals, such as health visitors, social workers and other community-based support workers, who are able to identify and refer people facing hunger to the foodbank. During the last year our foodbank distributed over 74 tonnes of food to 6,644 people, of which just over three thousand were children.
The demands on the Foodbank are as strong as ever and this is where together we can make a difference. Please join with us by giving food so that local people in need don’t go hungry. Your donation is important to us so please only give food that is unopened, undamaged, non perishable and, if possible, with at least a six month shelf life.
Whatever you can give will really make a difference to someone’s life.
We also need monetary donations to be able to continue this work. Whilst all food is donated, we have overheads to maintain our storage, transport and office facility, as well as supporting our four centres with their needs.
To give a monetary donation to our Harvest Appeal visit our Virgin Giving page by following the link below and put in the search bar Braintree Area Foodbank Limited.
https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/donationweb/charity?charityId=1019029&stopmobi=yes
Alternatively visit our website www.braintreearea.foodbank.org.uk and click the ‘Donate’ button on the top right for a monetary donation or ‘Give Help’ to take you to our shopping list of most wanted items.
Thank you.
* From a Trussell Trust and Heriot Watt University research project, September 2020