As part of a new funding initiative, Provide Community has recently donated a cheque for £5,000 to Colchester Foodbank, which has been working alongside the Essex Food Poverty Alliance to try and put an end to local food poverty.
The foodbank was one of many nominations received by Provide Community after inviting its members to put forward charities that they felt would benefit from additional funding. Colchester Foodbank was nominated by Joelle Leilich, Technical Support Officer, who was keen to support the centre after seeing the impact of rising prices on families in the local community.
Several of Provide Community’s Governors visited the foodbank to present the cheque and see first-hand the essential work that the centre carries out to support struggling families. Last year alone, Colchester Foodbank supplied just under 14,000 people in crisis with emergency food, with its large network of volunteers helping to process and distribute donations.
When asked about the visit, Joelle said; “My visit to Colchester Foodbank was an eye-opening experience, as the operation was a lot bigger than I imagined. It is easy to see how people can find themselves in a situation where they need support from an organisation like the Foodbank. I am delighted that as a Governor at Provide Community I was given the opportunity to support local people in a time of need”.
Mike Beckett, Chief Officer of Colchester Foodbank, said; “We are delighted to receive this gift of £5,000 for the work of the charity with the cost-of-living crisis. Demand is rising with more local people in crisis needing emergency food provision. Our strongest asset is public support and support from organisations like Provide Community who help us to meet this growing need”.
