We have stepped in to support two North East foodbanks, including one that has seen donations drop by nearly 50% because of the cost of living crisis.
We have donated £10,000 to The Bay Foodbank in North Tyneside and a further £10,000 to Hebburn Helps in South Tyneside, both of which provide emergency food and toiletries to the people in their local communities.
In the run up to the busy festive period, we will give the foodbanks a total of £20,000 to spend on food for people across North and South Tyneside who are struggling to make ends meet.
Since it launched 10 years ago, The Bay Foodbank has prepared 45,000 boxes.
The Tyneside charity has relied on contributions from the public but, as stock has been running low, it now has to purchase products from supermarkets to meet demand.
Some of our employees volunteered at The Bay Foodbank last Christmas and will be volunteering again in January.
The foodbank prides itself on offering a high level of dignity to people who may never have used a food bank before.
Co-founder Reverend Alan Dickinson said there had been “a huge spike in demand” with around 30% of the people referred being in work but not managing on their wages.
“From April 2021 to March 2022 we supplied 6053 parcels for 7098 adults, 3442 children and 158 babies, so hopefully this demonstrates just how vital every donation is and how much we sincerely appreciate what we are given.
“We could not exist without the generous donations from supporters such as TT2, so thank them for their co-operation in helping us feed people in our area who simply need assistance at difficult times.”
Hebburn Helps have also experienced further demand for their services, with a rise of 37%, seeing their shelves emptying daily.
TT2 Customer Operations Manager Shaun Simmons said: “Both The Bay Foodbank and Hebburn Helps are phenomenal charities who work tirelessly to help struggling families, so we wanted to help when we saw how desperate they are for donations.”
Both charities are currently seeking food donations of products that are non-perishable and can be cooked using a kettle or microwave, to save on energy costs.