Weston Favell Foodbank receives £5,000 donation from Northamptonshire housing developer

Northamptonshire housing developer, Barratt Homes has donated £5,000 to the Weston Favell Centre Foodbank in a bid to help support their vital community work in Northampton.

The donation comes as part of the developer's monthly community fund initiative and will give the charity a boost in recovering from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

Fundraiser for the Weston Favell Centre Foodbank, Julie Parsons, said: “We have been overwhelmed with the generosity shown during this extremely challenging time, though the vast majority of donations have been of food or for the purchase of food.

“Whilst that has been much appreciated and enabled us to deliver much needed supplies to people in need, we still have bills to pay and this unrestricted funding is a lifeline for us. We have been able to allocate it towards a funding shortfall in staff costs.

“Whilst we rely heavily on a wonderful team of volunteers, it is obviously vital that our organisation has paid staff for it to function consistently, safely and effectively. The grant from Barratt Homes’ Community Fund meant that we’re starting 2021 in the safe knowledge that these posts are well on the way to being funded for the year.”

The Weston Favell Centre Foodbank was established by the Emmanuel Group of Churches, St Peter's Weston Favell and Storehouse Church in 2012 and it is now a member of the Trussell Trust.

Over 45 volunteers ran the food bank before the pandemic and worked to help people address poverty long-term. People using the service could benefit from a hot drink and food in Café Emm with a professional to assess their needs and how to help them.

They were able to see an adviser from community law to assist them with benefits, tariff switching, home insulation and eco deals. Emmanuel Church recently added a debt advice service to further help make long-term changes in peoples’ lives.

Parent company to the Northamptonshire developer, Barratt Developments, has collectively launched initiatives up and down the country to help support vital services such as food banks during the pandemic.

Sales Director at Barratt Homes Northampton, Alison Raine, said: “As a leading house builder, we strive to support the communities in and around the areas in which we build and we're delighted to be able to offer Weston Favell Foodbank a donation to support the fantastic work they do.

“We have witnessed how the foodbank - despite the effects of the pandemic - has continued to provide vital services which vulnerable members of the community rely on.”

Visit the Barratt Homes website for more information.