With an ambitious new target, Bridge Help has launched its annual Christmas fundraising appeal for Chesterfield Foodbank.
Last year, the bridging loan company donated £1500 worth of food and toiletries to Chesterfield Foodbank. This year the company wants to do even better and is hoping to donate at least £2021 of goods to the local food bank.
Bridge Help is now appealing to the local business community to donate money or drop off donations of tinned goods, toiletries, nappies and luxuries, including biscuits, chocolates, crisps, mince pies and Christmas cakes and puddings at its offices on Old Brick Works Lane off Sheffield Road.
Bridge Help will match all donations before delivering to the Chesterfield Foodbank warehouse in Sheepbridge ahead of Christmas. Donations can be dropped off at the office until Wednesday 15 December.
The annual charity fundraising campaign is organised by Phoebe Sellars, a Business Development Manager at Bridge Help and also a trustee of Chesterfield Citizens Advice.
Phoebe explained: “Being a trustee of Chesterfield Citizens Advice I am aware of the financial hardship many people experience and working for Bridge Help I am in a position to do something practical that will help people in need over the Christmas period.
“Last year Chesterfield’s business community was incredibly generous enabling us to donate a total of £1500 of food and toiletries to Chesterfield Food Bank. We want to do even better this year and ensure that more people can enjoy Christmas.”
Roisin O’Gorman, Deputy Project Coordinator at Chesterfield Foodbank, added: “Since the start of the pandemic the Foodbank has provided food to over 9000 people, with a third of those sadly being children.
“With the end of the universal credit uplift, increased heating costs and the government furlough scheme ending, we anticipate that even more people will have to turn to foodbanks. We need donations now more than ever, so please consider donating to the foodbank. Your kind donations will enable us to keep supporting local people in crisis who cannot afford the basic essentials. No one should have to go hungry.”
Phoebe added: “The team and I will be working around tins, cartons of long-life milk, toothpaste and boxes of biscuits in the office for a few weeks, but it’s something we are all happy to do knowing what a difference the donation will make to so many people in the area this Christmas.”
Chesterfield Foodbank is part of The Trussell Trust, the UK’s largest network of food banks. Last December Chesterfield Foodbank fed 488 people in crisis.
To make a donation to the Bridge Help Chesterfield Foodbank Christmas appeal, contact Phoebe Sellars on 033 3303 4681 or email phoebe@bridgehelp.co.uk
