Berkshire and North Hampshire food banks to receive gift cards for extra boost
£40,000 worth of gift cards are being donated from Southern Co-op
Berkshire and North Hampshire food banks which are supported by co-operative stores and funeral branches are among those in the South that are going to be given a winter boost with gift cards.
Southern Co-op supports more than 70 food banks with collection points, and they're giving out 4,000 community gift cards worth £10 each to help families and individuals as the cost of living continues to rise.
Gemma Lacey, Southern Co-op’s Director Sustainability and Communications, said: "We work with local community groups and charities across our region all year round, but we know this is going to be a particularly challenging time over the winter period.
"So we really wanted to give an extra boos to food banks in particular this winter.
"Concern for the community is at the heart of our business as the Co-operative society, so it's really important to us that we really understand what the local community needs are and that we deploy the resources, the funds to really support those charity groups and address the issues that matter most at a local level."
An additional £25,000 is being donated to Neighbourly’s Warm Communities Fund – set up to provide ‘needs-led’ micro-grants to charities and community groups providing ‘warm banks’, food donations and low-cost-to-prepare food items.
According to Neighbourly, a network representing over 22,000 local charities and good causes, 65% of these causes have a seen a drop in financial donations yet the average annual energy bill for community charities is expected to rise by 119% from £7,600 to £16,700.
Community gift cards will be send to Andover Trussell Trust, Basingstoke Trussell Trust, Newbury Soup Kitchen, West Berkshire Trussell Trust, Wokingham Food Bank and YMCA Andover.
The gift cards are hoped to give people the opportunity to select their own products and possibly even a small treat for the season.
From January to September 2022, customers and members have donated 11,388kg of goods equating to approximately 4,783 meals.
Holly Bramble, Southern Co-op’s Community Lead, said: “We all need to look beyond Christmas and focus on continued support throughout the whole of the winter and beyond.
“One way our customers can do this is by continuing to swipe their membership card every time they shop as 2p will be donated to our food bank partners each and every time they swipe.”