Asda stepped in to help after a foodbank was hit by a decline in donations.
Cambridge City Foodbank was invited to hold a collection drive at the Asda store on Coldham’s Lane, Cambridge, to bolster its supplies.
The collection drive was made possible with the support of local business, Sepura, where its team members joined the Foodbank’s volunteers to sort the donations from shoppers on the day.
Since the start of the cost-of-living crisis, Cambridge City Foodbank has seen a dramatic rise in need for its support.
In April, the Foodbank issued 1,447 emergency food parcels, a 33% increase on the previous year. To keep up with this demand, in the same month the Foodbank had to buy almost a quarter (24%) of its stock.
Steve Clay, Cambridge City Foodbank CEO, said: “Thank you to everyone who donated during our Asda collection.
“Throughout Spring, we’ve seen a decrease in the level of donations we receive, which has forced us to purchase stock in order to support our visitors.
“This is not sustainable for our charity, and these vital supermarket collections means we can bolster our supplies to match the immense level of need that we face. Without these acts of generosity and kindness from the public, we simply wouldn’t exist, and our visitors would be left with nowhere to turn.”
To find out you can support Cambridge City Foodbank, visit: https://cambridgecity.foodbank.org.uk/get-involved/
The Cambridge City Foodbank is an independent local charity and member of the Trussell Trust network, working to promote food justice and eradicate food insecurity and hunger across the UK.
The Cambridge City Foodbank was founded in 2010 by local churches and community groups looking to address the issues of food insecurity in the city.
The Cambridge City Foodbank has a range of sites across Cambridge where visitors, who are referred to its services in crisis, can access emergency support and food.
As a well-established charity, it is instrumental in the development of long-term and sustainable strategies for addressing food justice issues in Cambridge by providing nutritionally balanced emergency food and support to local people. Cambridge City Foodbank also runs affordable food social supermarkets and a fuel support scheme that aims to address fuel poverty.
