Charities given cash support to feed families
Two Bath charities have been granted a share of a £30,000 handout to help families who can’t afford food this summer.
Western Power Distribution has awarded grants totalling more than £30,000 from its Community Matters fund to charities, local councils and community groups across the South West to help families struggling to put food on the table because of high food and energy prices.
The Oasis Community Hub Bath has been awarded £2,500 to deliver food to people in the community affected by “holiday hunger”.
“This grant from Western Power Distribution will allow us to further support the families who visit our pantries,” said Claire Henwood from Oasis Community Hub.
“We know that summer holidays in particular can stretch already tight budgets to breaking point, and so this funding will help by providing additional snacks and lunch supplies, in addition to the food they can buy from the pantries.”
Another Bath beneficiary is Youth Connect South West, which has been awarded £1,400 to provide healthy food to families and young people.
Western Power says that during the school holidays, there is always higher demand at foodbanks, often from families which rely on term-time free school meals – and research in 2019 highlighted that there were three million children at risk of holiday hunger’
Western Power’s Community Matters fund is paid for by the shareholders and distributes £1 million a year.