Today we’d like to say a huge public ‘thank you’ to everyone who has donated following the Mail on Sunday’s Easter Day article criticising our work.
We were overwhelmed when our Easter fundraising appeal ‘Help Crack UK Hunger’ received an unexpected boost following the article. Donations started to pour in after undercover reporters targeted our volunteer-run foodbanks, with one Mail on Sunday reporter duping a Citizens Advice Bureau volunteer into giving him a voucher for a foodbank.
Thousands of people took to social media to express their support for The Trussell Trust and its foodbanks. Well-known names like the author Mark Haddon, musician Billy Bragg, financial journalist Paul Lewis and comedian Jon Ronson donated to the Trussell Trust Easter appeal to show their support and encouraged others to do the same. Almost 5,000 people have donated to the Help Crack UK Hunger Justgiving page since the article, and donations to the appeal page rose from £2,000 before Sunday to over £60,000 to date.
Today The Trussell Trust says that since Sunday, donations to Help Crack UK Hunger, combined with donations to Trussell Trust’s general funds, have reached an incredible £97,673.57p. A large proportion of this amount can be attributed to reactions to the Mail on Sunday article and additional coverage.
Trussell Trust Chief Executive David McAuley says:
‘We have been moved, humbled and overwhelmed by the incredible generosity of the British public following the Mail on Sunday’s article. It’s been amazing to see thousands of people react in such a positive way, wanting to help people in crisis. I would like to thank everyone who got behind this campaign, not just for their donations, but also for the positive words of encouragement. It means a lot, and will make a big difference to lots of people who are struggling in the UK.”
The Trussell Trust team has been blown away by the generosity and support of so many people. All the funds raised will help The Trussell Trust to do more to help stop people going hungry in the UK.
