Atherton & Leigh Foodbank are celebrating after being awarded three grants, and have been included in major national fundraising efforts which will help the charity to continue supporting local residents over the winter months.
The news comes at a time when the area has been subject to months of local lockdowns and an economic downturn which is seeing unemployment levels rise. Since the start of the financial year April 1 over 2,500 people have accessed Atherton & Leigh Foodbank.
The foodbank has been chosen by the Co-op as a local good cause. This means that shoppers who collect points from shop can choose to have them translated into money for the foodbank through the Co-op’s Local Community Fund. David Hughes, Trustee at Atherton & Leigh Foodbank explained what this means for them: “The Co-op naming us as a local good cause is great news, as people can now support us just through their normal shopping. If you shop at a local Co-op, please log into your membership account and select Atherton & Leigh Foodbank as your chosen good cause. For every £1 you spend, 2p will go to us. Even if you just pop in for your paper or milk it would help. We can make it add up if everybody gets behind it.” Similarly NISA, a subsidiary of the Co-op, is also promoting the Atherton & Leigh Foodbank.
Also Joseph Holt Breweries have selected six local Foodbanks as their Charities of the Year and the Atherton & Leigh Foodbank will be featured as one of these including an appearance in the Joseph Holt Breweries calendar for 2021. The monies collected and donated from this business support will be used to help to fund warehouse costs for 2022 – 2024.
In addition, three grants have been announced. The Coalfield Regeneration Trust awarded the charity a grant of £10,000 to support the two salaries incurred by their work. This will enable them to keep their driver and van on the road to collect large donations from supermarkets, businesses and community groups.
The Yorkshire Building Society has also generously donated £2,000 through their newly formed Coronavirus Response Fund. Set up in April, the building society wants to support small charities who are working in communities during the pandemic.
Finally Bent and Bongs Beer Bash has generously donated £2,000 towards the purchase of a replacement van. Our current vehicle has given us eight years of excellent service but it is now time for it to go into retirement. They are looking for additional funds in order to raise another £3,000 to enable the purchase of this vehicle.
David added: “Grants such as these make sure that we can keep on top of the logistics required for running the food bank. We depend heavily on local contributions for food and volunteers, but there is a vehicle to keep on the road, and a warehouse to maintain; generous grants like these go some way to ensuring this can happen.”
To find out more about Atherton & Leigh Foodbank, how to access help and how to support the charity, visit our Get Help page.