Blessed are the cheese makers!
Ornua have donated more than seven-and-a-half tonnes of dairy products to charitable causes
CHEESE and butter producer Ornua Foods UK has donated more than 7.5 tonnes of dairy products to good causes in the last 12 months.
The company
Leek-based has handed over 7.5 tonnes of cheese and some 230,000 portions of butter to local charities, community groups, foodbanks, nursing homes and NHS key workers during the pandemic.
The donations – enough to make 300,000 cheese rolls – have been distributed through a range of organisations across the region including The Royal Stoke Hospital, The Biddulph Youth and
Community Zone, The Tri Services and Veterans Support Centre in Newcastle, The Trussell Trust Leek Food Bank as well as eight nursing homes in and around the Leek area and Sharon Ball and the team at Moorlands Home Link in Cheadle.
The donations are in addition to a further 11 tonnes of cheese that Ornua has donated in partnership with Tesco to Fareshare, a national charity which is helping to tackle the twin issues of food waste and food poverty.
Bill Hunter, Ornua Foods UK’S managing director, said, “Ornua has had a presence in Leek for nearly 100 years, and today we are one of the area’s largest employers and are proud to be an integral part of the local community.
“With the advent of the Covid-19 pandemic, we wanted to play our part in helping those whose health and wellbeing were being adversely affected.
“One year on, we’re pleased to have been able to play a small role in supporting the great work being done by local charities and support groups across the region by donating our cheese and butter to them.”
Kate Taylor, employer brand and engagement coordinator at Ornua Foods UK, has been helping to distribute the items out into the community.
She said: “Over the last 12 months, I have met so many inspirational members of our community who are going above and beyond every day to support those in need.
“It has been such a heart-warming experience to see the cheese we have donated being put to such good use.”