Thousands helped with food
A CO-OP donation to support a vital food redistribution charity help people impacted by COVID-19 has resulted in over 20,000 people receiving vital food parcels in just three months.
Central England Co-op handed over the five-figure sum to FareShare Midlands at the start of lockdown to pay for extra transport and staffing costs to make sure that more emergency food packages continue to be delivered to those in need.
This resulted in 22,245 people receiving 297,500 meals from April 1 to June 30 via local good causes in the East Midlands.
Hannah Gallimore, corporate responsibility manager at Central England Co-op, said: “We are delighted to see that our donation to FareShare Midlands has made such a massive difference during these difficult times.
“We are extremely proud of our long-term relationship with FareShare and were pleased to be able to extend the work we already do to ensure that those impacted by the Coronavirus could continue to access vital food.”
Central England Co-op already works with FareShare Midlands on a ground-breaking food redistribution project that sees all best before food items and non-food goods that cannot be sold taken to the Society’s Food Distribution Centre, in Leicester, where it is then delivered to FareShare who send them to support dozens of local charities all year round.
It has also recently donated a further £100,000 as part of the its Summer Support for Kids campaign to help with work to combat holiday hunger among youngsters.
People can keep up to date with what is happening in their local community by visiting a dedicated online hub at www.centralengland.coop/ updates