Donation helps to launch lunch club to help feed hungry children in Castle Donington
Posted by rob smyth | Published: 21/06/2018
Central England Co-op has donated vital funds to pay for food to help tackle holiday hunger among children in Castle Donington this summer.
The Northern Membership and Community Council handed over £200 to Castle Donington Food Bank to support the launch of a lunch club for children that will provide hot meals during the holidays.
This comes after Central England Co-op launched its Summer Food Bank Appeal to collect vital items – ranging from food to toiletries – to help youngsters in need across the area after it was revealed that over 30,000 were at risk of going hungry this year as families lose the safety net of free school meals.
Rebecca Wykes, Chairman of Castle Donington Food Bank Committee, said: “We are all well aware of the massive impact holiday hunger can have on vulnerable families and we wanted to do our bit to help.
“This is why we are running a lunch club once a week during the school holidays to ensure that youngsters in need are getting a hot, nutritious meal for free.
“We have been very lucky with this fantastic donation from Central England Co-op as well as continued kind donations from members of the public from the special collection bin at Castle Donington Food Store.
“Central England Co-op’s Summer Food Bank Appeal has really struck a chord with people in the area and the food donated across the summer, along with this lunch club, will hopefully go a very long way to combatting holiday hunger in Castle Donington and beyond.”
Items that can be donated as part of the appeal include shopping basket staples from tea, sugar and cereals to other essentials such as toiletries and hygiene products
Tanya Noon, Member and Community Relations Officer for the Northern region, said: “The Co-operative has a long tradition of giving back to the community, and recent Social Return on Investment calculations showed that for every £1 Central England Co-op puts into the community the value of that impact is worth an amazing £23.15.
“As a co-operative we welcome the opportunity to make a real difference to the lives and education of the people who live in the communities around our Food Stores and Funeral Homes.
“I am proud the Northern Membership and Community Council were able to support Castle Donington Food Bank with £200 to spend on food to help launch the lunch club and continue our efforts to tackle holiday hunger this summer.”
The lunch club will begin on Thursday, 19 July. It will be open between noon and 1.30pm and be held every Thursday across the summer at the Methodist Church, in Castle Donington. Children must be supervised at all times.
Find out more about the Summer Food Bank Appeal by visiting www.centralengland.coop/summer
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 2018.
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 / Heather Clapton at Central England Co-operative on 01543 414140
Email –publicrelations@centralengland.coop