Posts in '2013'

We were blown away by the generosity of the general public who helped donate an amazing 3.5 million meals at our recent national Tesco collection on the 5th and 6th of July. This total, which includes Tesco’s 30% top up, is equivalent to an incredible 26,000 trolleys worth of food! Donations will be split between Trussell Trust foodbanks and food redistribution charity Fareshare.

Chris Mould, Chairman of the Trussell Trust said: “In the last three months alone Trussell Trust foodbanks have given three days’ emergency food to over 150,000 people in crisis and we know that the summer holidays can tip many low-income families over the edge. The extraordinary generosity of tens of thousands of members of the public across the UK at Tesco last weekend will help foodbanks to stop thousands of families from facing hunger this summer. We’re immensely grateful to Tesco for their invaluable support, the 30 per cent top up is a wonderful gift to our foodbanks which will make the public’s donations go much further.”

The Trussell Trust has been named Britain’s ‘Most Admired Charity’ at an award ceremony run by Third Sector. CEO’s of UK charities and not-for-profit organisations were asked to select a charity which had won their admiration through its achievements. These achievements could include accomplishing its objectives, providing outstanding service to beneficiaries or carving out a distinctive position and voice for itself.

Trussell Trust Executive Chairman Chris Mould said: ‘To be voted ‘Britain’s Most Admired Charity’ by our charity peers is an incredible honour. We are absolutely delighted. The award is testament to the efforts of hundreds of churches and communities across the UK who have joined us to take action against the real and growing problem of UK hunger by starting or donating to foodbanks.  We’d like to thank all the charity executives who voted for us and say a big thank you and well done to our highly dedicated staff and volunteers and to all our amazing supporters who make what we do possible.’ (more…)

A lady who turned to the foodbank after escaping from domestic violence and struggling to find subsequent employment was so moved by her experience of using the foodbank that she wrote a poem about it. Having worked all her life she was deeply embarrassed to have to ask the foodbank for help, but she says coming to the foodbank gave her hope and helped her to turn her life around.  (more…)

How can soap bring hope to Bulgaria’s orphanage leavers? Tsetsi’s explanation to a panel of Dragon’s Den style judges this week left them so impressed that he walked away with a cheque for 10,000 Bulgarian Leva – almost £5,000 – to invest in ‘HOPe Soaps’ .

After being abandoned to an orphanage before he can remember, Tsetsi joined The House of Opportunity when he left state care aged 18 in 2008. What would he have done if he hadn’t joined this two year residential training programme for state care leavers run by Trussell Trust partners FSCI? He says crime or prostitution and begging for food: that’s what his less fortunate friends have turned to.

Tsetsi’s always said that ‘when I’m on my feet I want to help others like the House of Opportunity helped me’. So, outside of his studies and his job, Tsetsi now manages ‘HOPe Soap’, FSCI’s new project that helps orphanage leavers to break out of poverty by producing handmade soaps to sell. Tsetsi has broken the mould by going to university, managing an enterprise and now he’s wowed a panel of judges too. He says he knows he’s now a role model to the young people he’s working with and he’s determined to prove to them that they too can have a future. HOPe Soaps is a great success in Bulgaria and FSCI are exploring new enterprise ideas to help more Bulgarian state care leavers like Tsetsi to turn their lives around.