BEVERLEY TOWN COUNCIL DONATES £5000 TO EAST YORKSHIRE FOOD BANK IN THE COVID-19 CRISIS

Beverley Town Councillors have put aside political differences at this unprecedented time, to support an important service, which will make an essential difference to the lives of many local people.

On Tuesday 24th March, Town Councillors met for the first time via online video conferencing to adhere to Government advice regarding social distancing and isolation, but united together to agree a £5,000 lifeline to the East Yorkshire Food Bank.

At this difficult and unpredictable time, the East Yorkshire Food Bank is experiencing pressures the likes of which it has never experienced before.  Because people can no longer visit the organisation’s outreach sessions to collect much needed supplies, managers have decided to provide a service by which food parcels are delivered directly to the doorsteps of those who qualify for support.

To do so, volunteers are having to travel by car, food parcels must be packages in materials that do not carry COVID-19 and there are additional administrational costs to coordinate such a complex effort.

Acknowledging this, Beverley Town Councillors have agreed to allocate £5,000 to the East Yorkshire Food Bank to support townsfolk in additional costs at these challenging times

Councillor Duncan Jack, the Mayor of Beverley, said: “We are living though an unprecedented time, where many people will be experiencing hardship.  Town Councillors from all political persuasions agreed unanimously that it was only right and proper that we support a local organisation that is working hard to help address this issue.  On behalf of Beverley Town Council, I would like to thank all those who are involved.”

Town Councillors are also encouraging residents who can afford it, to donate additional funding to the East Yorkshire Food Bank.

Councillor Jack explained: “From personal experience of raising funds for local organisations, I know how generous the people of Beverley can be – Beverley Town Councillors think it would be great to see enough donations to match the £5,000 we have agreed to allocate.  These are difficult and unpredictable times – every penny will help, and I urge those who can afford to help the Food Bank to do so.  Everyone in Beverley needs to support each other during these difficult weeks and months – once we are through it, we can jointly celebrate what the community has achieved.”

Kate Leaf, trustee of the East Yorkshire Food Bank, welcomed this support.  In a statement on behalf of the organisation, she said: “We would like to take this opportunity to thank the Beverley Town Council for their donation of £5000 to the East Yorkshire Foodbank, this donation will assist in our response to the coronavirus pandemic as we adapt our operations to a delivery system. In order for us to continue to provide a much-needed service we have had to switch to a delivery system rather than usual our support sessions. We have had to switch from carrier bags to boxes, our volunteers working from our warehouse and utilising their own vehicles to delivery direct to our client’s doors. Over the coming weeks we are expecting the demand for our services to increase, this funding along with the continued support for the local, community will ensure we can continue to deliver our service. Beverley has always had great community spirit, and this has been demonstrated by the continued support of the Foodbank through food and monetary donations through this difficult time for everyone.”

Beverley Town Council are also looking to help the East Yorkshire Food Bank in practical ways with supporting deliveries within the town, whilst using PPE and practising social distancing at all times.

If you would like to make a financial donation to support the work of the East Yorkshire Food Bank visit eastyorkshire.foodbank.org.uk/give-help/.  Alternatively, you can call them on 07842 753728 or email info@eastyorkshire.foodbank.org.uk.  More information about the work of the Food Bank is available at https://eastyorkshire.foodbank.org.uk/