Employees from international logistics service provider Torque have donated £1651.00 to the Trussell Trust’s Leeds West Foodbank.
In addition to the company donating a VW Transporter to the organisation in May 2014, employee’s spent 12 months raising money for two community partners with 50% of the proceeds allocated to the Foodbank.
The company’s teams across England competed to raise the funds through a series of initiatives they organised themselves which included: Tombolas, bake offs and cake sales, raffles, guessing games, quizzes, book sales and dress down days.
Employees also got involved with volunteering by helping out at local supermarket food collections and packing food parcels at foodbank centres.
Leeds West Foodbank, a not-for-profit charity led by the Oak Church, Farsley, is part of the Trussell Trust network of over 450 in the UK, and fed over 4000 people in the last year, 48% of them children.
Foodbank clients are identified by professionals from statutory and voluntary organisations, such as doctors, health visitors, social workers, schools, family centres, welfare officers, and probation officers, who issue them with vouchers the foodbank provides.
Clients then take these to a foodbank centre, where they exchange them for at least three days’ supply of emergency, non-perishable food. All food is donated by the general public. Foodbank volunteers also signpost clients to other support services to help tackle the underlying causes of food poverty.
Up to half the foodbank’s clients are in work but not earning enough to meet their basic needs.
Lucy Pitkin, Project Lead, Leeds West Foodbank, said: “We were really excited to be one of Torque’s chosen charities and we can’t thank them enough for donating the van and their continued support with volunteering, raising money for us”.
Stewart Firth, head of operations, Torque, said his company was delighted to support an organisation on its doorstep which did such valuable work.
He said: “We have a long tradition of working with the local community and glad to be working with such a worthwhile cause. We are pleased to have been able to do something that will really make a difference to the foodbank”.
Torque’s introduction to the foodbank was arranged by Rachel Reeves, Member of Parliament for Leeds West.
She said: “I’m delighted that Torque have given such generous backing to Leeds West food bank. Every pound raised for Leeds West Foodbank makes a huge difference to local families who can’t afford to put food on the tables. With the number of people using foodbanks rising not falling the government must act to ensure no one has to rely on charity to feed themselves.”
Leeds West Foodbank urgently need more volunteer van drivers especially on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. For further information on the Foodbank please visit www.leedswest.foodbank.org.uk
