Co-op Midcounties launches food bank fund
Co-op Midcounties is asking communities across Shropshire to help ensure local food banks can continue to provide essential support with the launch of a new food bank fund.
The society has opened the fund with a £25,000 donation and is calling on members, customers and the wider community to support food banks with monetary contributions to the fund, helping them to put food on the table for the most vulnerable throughout the pandemic crisis.
The fund will provide supplementary help to the many thousands of product donations already being made through Co-op Midcounties, by its members and its customers.
A total of 40 food banks, which all have a long-standing relationship with Co-op Midcounties, will be able to access these funds to buy supplies from its local food stores.
Phil Ponsonby, chief executive of Co-op Midcounties, said: “So many people and organisations have been affected in all kinds of different ways by this pandemic, and food banks are certainly among the hardest hit.
“Since the outbreak, food banks have faced a funding crisis while also seeing food bank stock availability reduce significantly. As a society, we have been encouraging our members and customers to support their local food banks through prominent promotion in store. But we feel now is the time to go further.
“The £25,000 donation we are launching the fund with is a significant one and will help put many meals on tables across our communities. I know many people find themselves in challenging financial situations themselves right now but, for those that are able, I’m asking for you to pull together, give what you can to support your food banks and ensure – among everything else happening around us – no one goes hungry.”
To donate to the Co-op Midcounties food bank fund visit: https://mid.coop/FoodbankDonation
