Company serves £5,000 donation to soup kitchen
Thousands of pounds has been donated to help hungry and homeless people in Sunderland.
INEOS’ Newton Aycliffe site has donated £5,000 to The Sunderland Community Soup Kitchen through the international INEOS Community Fund.
The volunteer-led Kitchen was set up in 2019 to keep local people most in need supported in cases of hunger poverty.
A team of 60 volunteers run a nightly food session to feed the city’s hungry and homeless while food parcels and crucial everyday items are also handed out to families in need.
Until the beginning of lockdown, the self-funded charity gave away an average of 8,300 portions a month to those most without food supplies.
But while normal service is now on hold, The Soup Kitchen is still preparing hot food, which is delivered four nights a week by volunteer drivers to those in need.
Andrea Bell, founder of The Sunderland Community
Foodbank, said: “We are delighted to have been awarded this grant which will be put to the best possible use by our inspiring team of volunteers, working hard every week to bring essential supplies to those most in need across the city.
"We don’t receive any institutional funding, so donations of this kind and support from the wider community are essential in keeping our crucial operation going in these tough times.”
Janet Ward, UK communications manager at INEOS company INOVYN, said: “The Sunderland Community Soup Kitchen has been a lifeline charity for those struggling the most across the city.”