Public urged to vote to kickstart Greater Manchester's first mobile foodbank

The public is being urged to vote for a Salford project, that is aiming to provide food, hygiene and sanitary products and nappies to some of the most vulnerable people in Greater Manchester.

The Launch Project, which has been running for six years now, wants to set up Greater Manchester's first mobile foodbank.

The scheme would see a van, kitted out with donated items, drive to vulnerable people to deliver weekly food parcels.

People in need would be able to pay a small donation towards the cost of the produce and then would get arond £25 worth of food per week.

It is hoped this will ease the burden for people with mobility issues, who are struggling with social isolation, who have just moved to the area and are not yet on their feet financially or for older residents who need a helping hand.

In order to get the project up and running, organisers need around £7,000.

They have put in for an Aviva Community Fund grant, but in order to secure the funding, they need the public's backing.

Natalie Lek is behind the project, she said:

"It's going to reduce the foodwaste we have as a community. It's going to make sure the most vulnerable people in society have everything that they need, or as much as we can give them. It's going to give anyone that's struggling financially have more money in their pocket to get back on their feet.

"If you are suffering from mobility issues and you might not have the facilities to get out of the house yourself, we are proposing that we have a mobile foodbank that can go out there and you have a friendly face that you'll see every week and you'll build up that relationship with them.

"It will make a lot of people's lives a lot easier. You won't have the stresses anymore of wondering where the next meal's going to come from or if you can't afford that pack of nappies, we're there.

"We are letting more food go to waste, we're letting communities go to waste a suffer. We are going to work tirelessly to reduce poverty in the community in as many different ways as we possibly can."

To vote for the project, head to: https://community-fund.aviva.co.uk/voting/project/view/4-1949

For more information about the Launch Project, visit: https://thelaunchproject.org/