Find out more about the food-focused charities and community groups we supported with financial donations through our Cost of Living initiative.
West Berks Foodbank - £9,000
West Berks Foodbank are currently purchasing food for people in need as demand is continuing to outstrip donations. As well as help with food, they also provide assistance with energy bills. With the rising cost of fuel, they have also seen an increase in the demand for home-delivery where clients are unable to access their distribution centres. The funding received will go towards supporting all facets of the Foodbank.
It's only with financial support from local businesses such as Newbury Building Society that allow us to continue to provide compassionate support to people facing increasing difficult situations. This most recent donation will help us to provide food and essential items to those that can no longer afford them. We will be able to top up electricity and gas smart meters and signpost those clients to energy charities to try and find longer term solutions. Your donation allows us to continue our core goals to Relieve Hunger, Restore Dignity and Revive Hope.
Didcot Emergency Foodbank - £4,800
Didcot Emergency Foodbank will use their donation to meet the additional need they are experiencing as more families struggle with the cost of living, which at present is between 100-130 people each week.
Didcot Emergency Foodbank has been providing food assistance for people in hardship in Didcot and surrounding villages since 2009, with resources and volunteers from the local communities. It has been heartwarming to see the care there is for those struggling on low incomes, unemployment or illness, evidenced by ample provision of food for 4330 adults and children last year (this includes repeat visits). However, following recent events, this year and next will see the biggest challenges so far for foodbanks and similar groups: we are so grateful for the Newbury Building Society's support at this difficult time.
Abingdon Foodbank - £3,500
Abingdon Foodbank have experienced a 30% rise in demand for help since the start of the year, whilst donations of food are down compared to 2021. They are currently running a school holiday meal support scheme for children in receipt of free school meals. The donation will go to funding this scheme, as well as providing additional 4-family food packs over the summer period to support people struggling throughout the school holidays.
Andover Foodbank - £4,000
The donation to Andover Foodbank will be used to purchase stock items such as food, toiletries, cleaning products and laundry detergent, as well as funding a market voucher scheme where families receive £10 vouchers to spend on fresh fruit, vegetables, bread and cheese at the local Andover market.
The cost of living crisis is already having an impact on people. Spring and summer tend to be quieter months but this year we have had the busiest May, June and July since we opened in 2006. We are regularly buying food to top up or boxes and we are very grateful to the Newbury Building Society for this support.
Wickham Community Association - £3,000
Wickham Community Association run a community pantry which helps to support local people by subsidising the cost of groceries, which they will use their £4,000 donation to support. They have seen membership of the pantry triple in the last six months, and running costs have increased due to inflation.
Huge thanks to The Newbury Building Society - this donation will make a real difference to our pantry members. Over the last year, the cost of living crisis has been a major mental and economic issue for the people we support. This donation will help us to continue to ensure that the full force of the cost of living is eased a little for our members, helping to make their money go further, and give them some much-needed relief.
Alton Community Cupboard - £3,000
Alton Community Cupboard is a community project made up of volunteers that collect surplus food and other goods from supermarkets, allotments and local people to make it available to people in need. They are using their £3,000 donation towards the cost of moving into a new 'forever home' premsis on Alton High Street. This will allow them to continue to offer their vital services to local people.
To find out more about the donations we're making in the areas of debt, energy, food, and mental wellbeing, please head back to our Cost of Living hub.
Wokingham Foodbank - £3,000
We have run a fuel bank for a while now, after all, what is the point of providing someone with a bag of pasta if they can't afford the electricity to cook it. In recent months demand for energy support has exploded. We now have people coming in saying that can only afford to boil a kettle once a day or telling us they now have cold showers because it is too expensive to heat the water. Financial support for our fuelbank will help us purchase emergency energy support vouchers for those in need this autumn.
To find out more about the donations we're making in the areas of debt, energy, food, and mental wellbeing, please head back to our Cost of Living hub.
Emma leads the marketing and communications team and is responsible for marketing, communications, brand and public relations.
