Member Article

Food for thought with intu

Gateshead Foodbank has been announced as the recipient of a £2,000 award from shopping giant intu, owners of both intu Metrocentre and intu Eldon Square.

Last year, intu Metrocentre’s chaplain – Reverend Canon Lyn Jamieson approached colleagues to see if they would like to support the charity and the response was overwhelming with food donations flooding in from retailers and intu staff alike.

In recognition of the enthusiasm and generosity of everyone involved in the collection, the campaign was submitted to intu as a contender for the Chairman’s Prize – where local community organisations supported by intu shopping centres can be nominated to receive awards from a national prize fund.

Gateshead Foodbank was awarded joint second place in the Chairman’s Prize – receiving £2,000 to help support local individuals and families in crisis. The charity was founded by local churches and community groups and is focused on engaging the community to combat hunger in Gateshead.

With one in five people in the UK living below the poverty line – demand for the services provided by food banks is greater than ever. Last year alone Gateshead Foodbank provided 3,832 three-day nutritionally balanced emergency food supplies to people in the area.

As well as providing emergency supplies, the foodbank also supports other initiatives such as Gateshead’s Holiday Hunger Project. Foodbanks generally experience a peak in demand over school holidays as families who normally receive free school meals struggle to meet the costs of feeding their children during the holidays. Gateshead’s Holiday Hunger Project supplies food to children’s holiday clubs so that they can offer free, basic lunches alongside free activities.

intu chairman Patrick Burgess and intu’s corporate responsibility director, Alexander Nicoll, both visited the north east to meet representatives from Gateshead Foodbank and took great pleasure in presenting the charity with the cheque for £2,000.

Alexander Nicoll said:

“The Chairman’s Prize showcases the very best community engagement initiatives promoted by intu centres around the country. Staff and retailers at intu Metrocentre showed their true community spirit and generosity as collections of food surpassed all expectations and donation boxes were overflowing.

“Being at the heart of the local community gives intu centres a real insight into the concerns and priorities of the community they serve and the collection for Gateshead Foodbank reflected this. Everyone who donated should be proud to be involved with a charity which supports those who need it most in times of crisis.”

Carol Thompson, Trustee of Gateshead Foodbank commented: “We are delighted to receive the donation of £2,000 from intu. A huge thank you to all the staff and retailers at intu Metrocentre for supporting us over the last 12 months. This donation will now allow us to extend our delivery service and to purchase more bus passes for our clients to reach us.”

Clare Cannon, community manager, intu north, added: “Our staff and retailers really got behind the food bank as it is a vital service in the borough of Gateshead. I’m thrilled they have received the £2,000 donation from intu to further develop the service especially for their vulnerable customers who are unable to reach the centre. intu Metrocentre is committed to supporting this deserving charity.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Suhaine Baptie .