Central England Co-op customers and members donate enough food to create over 20,000 meals for people in need following 2019 Christmas Food Bank Appeal

Posted by james brindle | Published: 31/12/2019


Central England Co-operative has said a heartfelt ‘thank you’ to customers and members after they donated over 40,000 items in support of its 2019 Christmas Food Bank Appeal – helping to create over 20,000 meals for people in need.

The retailer hosted a special month-long appeal in an effort to bring a little festive cheer and provide emergency food and support to individuals and families in crisis.

Colleagues at over 240 food stores across 16 counties used already strong connections with local food bank providers to encourage people to drop off one or more items – resulting in an amazing response.

Over 10,000 items a week were donated and, in total, over 40,000 were collected in just a matter of weeks.

This allowed for the creation of special food parcels that were handed out to provide over 20,000 meals during the festive period.

These incredible numbers donated by the public are all the more humbling, coming straight on the back of Central England Co-op’s first ever Christmas Toybox Appeal which saw over 12,000 presents and stocking fillers donated to give children who might otherwise have missed out a Christmas to remember.

Debbie Robinson, Central England Co-operative Chief Executive, said: “I have been overwhelmed by the fantastic response to our Christmas campaigns from customers, members and colleagues which have helped to make a real difference to people in need in our communities at this special time of year.

“Coming hot on the heels of our first ever Christmas toy appeal it is brilliant that our food bank appeal has still received such magnificent support.

“As a co-operative, it is great to be able to support the great work of local food banks across our trading area during the festive season and throughout the year.

“We all want to say a big ‘thank you’ to everyone who donated, not just to the Christmas Food Bank Appeal but our year-round food bank collections.
“The generosity and support on show throughout 2019 has helped make a major difference to people from all walks of life.

“We now want to ask people to continue to support our food banks during 2020 so we can keep providing vital donations to good causes that can really make a positive impact on those in need.”

The parcels included items such as tea, sugar and cereals and other essentials such as toiletries and hygiene products to ensure people can maintain their dignity during times of crisis. They also featured festive treats ranging from boxes of chocolate to advent calendars following a plea for people to spread a little ‘festive cheer’ with their donations.

The Christmas Food Bank Appeal was launched on the back of year-round relationships currently in place with local food bank providers and hundreds of Central England Co-op stores, where permanent food bank collection points are in place in hundreds of its stores.

The store food banks have resulted in thousands of people every month from Birmingham to Norfolk being given enough food to cook meals.

 

Notes to editors

About Central England Co-operative

Central England Co-operative is one of the largest independent retail co-operative societies in the UK. 

It is a modern, forward-looking organisation employing over 8,000 staff, with the Society’s principal areas of activity being food, funeral services, travel shops, and property investment.

Central England Co-operative has over 400 trading outlets across 16 counties including; West Midlands, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Staffordshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Nottinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, Suffolk, Norfolk, Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire.  The Society has an ambitious food store development programme for 2019.

Central England Co-operative is proud of its reputation for ethical business practices and corporate responsibility.  It is a member of Business in the Community, the membership organisation that stands for responsible business, and has also won many business awards for excellence.  The Society supports a number of charities including Dementia UK and invests a percentage of its trading profit into local communities.

Becoming a member of Central England Co-operative offers a whole host of benefits ranging from collecting points every time you spend in store to earn a share of the profits, access to members activities and community initiatives including the Community Dividend Fund, which hands out grants of up to £5,000 to charities and good causes across the Society’s trading estate.

Find out how to become a Central England Co-operative member by calling 0800 0501 601, emailing members@centralengland.coop or visiting https://www.members.coop

For more information visit www.centralengland.coop, follow Central England Co-operative on Twitter: @mycoopfood, and on Facebook: facebook.com/centralenglandcooperative

Rob Smyth and James Brindle at Central England Co-operative on 01543 421390

Email – publicrelations@centralengland.coop