Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Investec help provide food for country’s most needy
INVESTEC is supplying more than 1,500 vital food parcels a week to those affected by coronavirus.
The Trussell Trust’s Belfast West South Food Bank says the help could not come soon enough.
The Trust’s Edel Diamond added: “We would normally have been helping 16 families a week but that number has multiplied by six or seven.
“So we’re helping a minimum of 100 families a week and often more. The need has always been great and we’ve a large area to cover.
“And while the area has stayed the same, the need has grown.
“We are providing food parcels which are intended to last three to four days so the donations are absolutely essential.
“The public have been such an amazing help with the donations and then having Investec linking up with Lidl in Northern Ireland so bulk buying has made an enormous difference.
“Over 12 weeks we will have had more than 18,000 donations from this partnerhsip.
“There may be a misconception that people who need food banks are jobless, but more and more families with two working adults are referred to us.
“The problems created by Universal Credit and the waiting times for that, plus the knock on effect of Covid-19, with many people self-isolating, all add up.”
The demand for help from food banks is estimated to have increased by 210% across the whole of the UK.
Edel said: “Lots of people in the community have supported our food bank however, we have seen a dramatic surge in the number of people requiring help over the last number of weeks.
“So we are grateful to Investec’s initiative as it ensures stability in our food supplies during these challenging times.”
Investec’s Deborah Sayagh said: “We fully believe in supporting our local communities and making sure that we live within society, rather than off of it.”