Food and toiletries winging their way to vulnerable families thanks to Burnley Green party campaigners and volunteers
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The cash donation to the Burnley Football Club community foodbank has come from Burnley Green Party and the One Sixty Cafe in St James Street.
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Hide AdOn Christmas Day last year, for the third year running, party members and volunteers took over the cafe to provide a full Christmas lunch to those who would otherwise go without.
The money raised was put into a fund to provide free meals for those in need at the cafe but, because the pandemic has forced its closure for most of the year, party members decided to put the money to good use elsewhere.
The donation was further boosted by the Leader of the Green Party on Burnley Council, Coun. Andy Fewings, who donated £400 of his councillor allowance.
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Hide AdFood bank referrals are increasing but donations to the food bank are decreasing, largely because of COVID related job losses.
Andy said: "Before the pandemic, 15% of households in Burnley lived in fuel poverty and holiday hunger was already a big issue.
"With the first redundancies already hitting local people hard, in a jobs crisis fuelled by lockdown, those struggling and being pushed into poverty are only going on the increase.
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Hide Ad"Obviously food banks are necessary but it is a scandal that they are so essential.
"We are the sixth richest country in the world, no one should be going hungry.”
Burnley FC in the Community Chief Executive Officer, Sara Ward said: “We are extremely grateful to all of the local businesses, organisations, fans, schools and community groups for their overwhelming support and donations for the foodbank.
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Hide Ad“Since March the foodbank has delivered 3,250 food parcels, feeding over 7,000 people, of which 3,000 were children. The facility has never been more vital, with the coronavirus pandemic resulting in an unprecedented number of local people needing our services.
“The facility has been a long-term project for Burnley FC in the Community, in addition to food parcels, we run early kick-off breakfast clubs feeding 2,000 local school children every week and we will continue to feed these children and their families throughout the holidays.
“The foodbank relies completely on donations from the public and partners, therefore this donation will make a real difference to the most vulnerable in our town during these most challenging of times.”
To make a donation to the foodbank click HERE
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