Every last Friday of the next seven months will see Trussell Trust foodbank volunteers based at selected Network Rail managed stations from 7am – 7pm to raise awareness of, and funds for, vital work tackling hunger.
The ‘Foodbank Friday’ scheme comes after the recent news that foodbank use in the UK remains at record levels: in 2015-16, 1,109,309 three day emergency food supplies were provided to people in crisis by Trussell Trust foodbanks. Funds raised by foodbanks will help them to continue providing emergency food and helping people to break out of crisis in communities across the UK.
Volunteers will be collecting in the following stations on 27th May: Birmingham New Street, Bristol Temple Meads, Edinburgh Waverly, Leeds, Liverpool Lime Street, Manchester Piccadilly, London Cannon Street, London Charing Cross, London Euston, London Liverpool Street, London Paddington and London Waterloo.
A pop up foodbank on the station concourse will ensure passing passengers and other station users get a real sense of what a person helped by a foodbank might be met with; a cup of tea, biscuits and a listening ear from a volunteer, as well as 3-days emergency food.
Last year over 63 million people visited a retailer at one of Network Rail’s managed stations between July and September 2016. The Foodbank Friday collections aim to help over 190 foodbanks over the course of the summer. The donations will help contribute to foodbank running costs at a busy time when they are helping families struggling to feed their children over the summer school holidays when free school meals are unavailable.
Adrian Curtis, Network Director at The Trussell Trust says,
‘We are very grateful for this valuable opportunity from Network Rail. It’s natural the first thing people think to donate to a foodbank is food, but foodbanks have a whole range of running costs to cover, from insurance and utilities to running a van to deliver emergency food when someone is unable to reach them. Not only will foodbanks be able to raise awareness of their work, but they’ll also be able to gather funds so they can continue to offer that short-term help when people are referred to them in crisis.’
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Notes to Editor
About ‘Foodbank Fridays’
- The pilot will run from 27th May 2016 and will run for an initial seven month trial period.
- Collections take place from 27th May onwards, on the last Friday of the month from 7am to 7pm: 27 May, 24 June, 29 July, 26 August, 30 Sept, 28 Oct, 25 Nov.
- Stations and Trussell Trust foodbanks involved in the 27th May launch: Birmingham New Street – Sparkhill Foodbank; Bristol Temple Meads – East Bristol Foodbank; Edinburgh Waverly – West Lothian Foodbank; Leeds – Leeds North & West and Leeds South & East Foodbanks; Liverpool Lime Street – South, Central and North Liverpool Foodbanks; Manchester Piccadilly – Salford Central Foodbank; London Cannon Street – Bromley Foodbank; London Charing Cross – Kensington & Chelsea Foodbank; London Euston –Brent Foodbank & The Trussell Trust; London Liverpool Street – North Enfield Foodbank; London Paddington – Southwark Foodbank; London Waterloo – Richmond Foodbank .
- Foodbanks involved will retain 80% of the money raised for use at a local level, and 20% will be used by The Trussell Trust to support the rest of the foodbank network.
About The Trussell Trust
- Trussell Trust foodbanks provide three days’ nutritionally balanced food and support to people in crisis in the UK. We also signpost people to other agencies and services able to help resolve the underlying cause of the crisis. As part of the charity’s More Than Food approach, many foodbanks also host additional services like debt/money advice, cooking and budgeting courses and holiday clubs.
- In 2015-16, 1,109,309 three day emergency food supplies were provided to people in crisis by Trussell Trust foodbanks across the UK.
- Everyone who comes to a Trussell Trust foodbank is referred by a professional such as a social worker, health visitor or schools liaison officer. Over 30,000 frontline professionals refer people to Trussell Trust foodbanks, and 50 percent are statutory agencies.
- Over 90 percent of food given out by Trussell Trust foodbanks is donated by the public. In 2015- 16, 10,570 tonnes of food were given out to people in crisis.
- The Trussell Trust is a charity motivated by Christian principles that runs a network of 424 foodbanks in the UK.
- For more on The Trussell Trust visit trusselltrust.org
