Carlisle Foodbank gears up for busy winter
Date published:
Carlisle Foodbank gears up for busy winter with support from Newcastle Building Society
A Cumbrian foodbank has received new funding from the North East’s
largest building society to help them cope with increasing demand for
their services.
In order to help meet the additional running costs driven by a rising
number of people going without food in the region, Carlisle Foodbank
received a grant of £3,000 from Newcastle Building Society.
Now operating from its new base on West Tower Street in the city, the
foodbank distributed more than 8,000 parcels in 2020, of which
approximately one third were for children.
The increasing costs of food and fuel, as well as high unemployment and
changes to welfare support means that the charity expects to be even
busier this winter.
The funding is being provided through the Newcastle Building Society
Community Fund at the Community Foundation, which offers grants to
charities and community groups located in or around the communities
served by the Society's branch network.
Founded in 2012, Carlisle Foodbank supports vulnerable people in
Carlisle facing hunger by providing food parcels to those referred by
third parties. Relying on donations from the general public, the charity
also receives surplus food from local supermarkets and purchases items
when needed.
A team of hardworking volunteers from across the area work with service
users, local agencies, schools and businesses to support people in need.
The Society is a long-term supporter of Carlisle Foodbank, with a £5,000
grant given in November 2020 to enable the recruitment of an assistant
manager post, helping to meet the needs created by the pandemic.
Stephanie Humes, manager at Carlisle Foodbank, said: “The grant from
Newcastle Building Society has enabled Carlisle Foodbank to continue our
vital work in feeding the most vulnerable individuals and families in
the Carlisle area.
“The pandemic created a huge financial challenge for so many. We saw a
huge increase in foodbank use, which included many who until now hadn't
ever needed our support before. The generous grant from Newcastle
Building Society helps to ensure we’re always available for emergency
support in the form of food, sanitary products, and household cleaning
items.”
Newcastle Building Society has been directing its support this year to a
range of projects tackling issues linked to employability and food
poverty, as part of its commitment to help its communities recover from
the impacts of Covid-19.
Helen Jelly, manager at Newcastle Building Society’s Carlisle branch,
said: “The pandemic has been tough on many families and the Carlisle
Foodbank does an amazing job of supporting people when they really need
some help. We’ve focused our community grants where we think it will
have the greatest impact so we’re proud to continue our support for the
foodbank and their fantastic team of volunteers.”
Since its launch in 2016, Newcastle Building Society’s Community Fund
has also contributed over £2.1m in grants and partnerships to a wide
variety of charities and projects across the region, including the Sir
Bobby Robson Foundation and the Prince’s Trust.
The grants are so far estimated to have had a positive impact on more
than 151,000 people.