New Central England Co-operative food bank set to help out in battle against food poverty in Norwich
Posted by nathan lloyd | Published: 26/09/2016
Central England Co-operative’s Food Store in Brundall has announced the launch of an exciting partnership with the Norwich foodbank in a bid to tackle food poverty.
Colleagues at the store have been working with the organisation in a bid to try and address the issue in the local community and have now launched a food bank at the store in The Street as part of their efforts.
The food bank will be based at the new store which only opened its doors last month, creating 19 new jobs for the area.
Dean Blyth, Brundall Food Store Manager, said: “Central England Co-operative is committed to working with local food banks across its trading area to provide emergency food and support to individuals and families in crisis.
“As a community retailer, we are aware that there are many people experiencing financial difficulties who may turn to food banks as a means of providing for themselves and their families.
“We are delighted to be working with the Norwich foodbank and we hope that we can help those who need it.
“We would like to thank our members and customers in advance for supporting us in this project.
Central England Co-operative now has permanent food bank collection points throughout many of its food stores.
The target is to have as many food stores partnered with a food bank as possible by the end of 2016.
Customers are encouraged to purchase a few extra items when shopping in their local co-op food store and add them to the donation bins.
Good choices include, cereal, tinned food, sugar, rice, dried pasta, biscuits, UHT milk, UHT fruit juices, tea, instant coffee and essential toiletries.
Hannah Worsley, Norwich foodbank Project Manager, said: “'We are absolutely delighted that Central England Co-operative continues to support Norwich foodbank and are especially pleased that this new collection point coincides with a new store.
“We hope donating to us will become part of Brundall shopper's routine. We are so grateful for the support of the community as we couldn't do what we do without them - we thank all donors for their generosity.”
The Norwich foodbank began distributing food in 2010, and is part of the Trussell Trust which runs the largest network of foodbanks in the UK.
Last year the organisation gave out enough three-day food parcels to feed 8,730 local people in crisis, including 3,050 children.
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 projected gross sales of £958million for 2016/17. The Society recently celebrated being named Leading Co-operative of the Year 2016 by Co-operatives UK. The Society’s principal areas of activity are food, funeral services, and property. Central England Co-operative has more than 430 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 2015/16.
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 Newlife Foundation for Disabled Children and invests a percentage of its trading profit into local communities.
For more information visit www.centralengland.coop, follow Central England Co-operative on Twitter: @mycoopfood, and on Facebook: facebook.com/centralenglandcooperative
Rob Smyth / Jo Baldock at Central England Co-operative on 01543 414140
Email – publicrelations@centralengland.coop