Member Article

Barratt Developments volunteer at Newcastle West End Food Bank this Christmas

10 employees from Barratt Developments North East’s Finance team volunteered their time at Newcastle West End Food Bank, to help the charity sort and pack their donated food items and share these with those who need it most across the local area.

Over the past five years, food bank usage in the UK has increased by 73%, with over 80,000 people receiving support across the North East last year alone. Newcastle West End Food Bank, a local charity that opened in 2013, is part of a nationwide network of food banks and works to combat poverty and hunger across the Newcastle area. As one of the busiest food banks in the UK, the charity provides food parcels that feed over 30,000 people annually, which include three days’ worth of nutritionally balanced emergency food to support local people who are in crisis. The charity is run by volunteers and relies heavily on volunteer time, as well as monetary and food donations, in order to keep helping those in need.

As part of the leading housebuilder’s ‘Donate A Day’ initiative, a total of 10 employees from Barratt Developments North East’s Finance team volunteered at Newcastle West End Food Bank to help sort, categorise and box the food donations into food parcels for single people, couples and families. These food parcels were then delivered to their local foodbank centres in Elswick and Benwell, to be distributed to those in crisis. In addition to volunteering, Barratt Developments North East also donated £1,000 to the charity. This donation will help to fund required electrical work as well as some new heaters for the warehouse, which were installed free of charge by one of Barratt’s subcontractors, FT Electrical Services Ltd.

Chris Brazell, Financial Controller at Barratt Developments North East, commented: “We’re delighted to have been able to volunteer at the Newcastle West End Food Bank charity. The fantastic work that they do across the area is crucial in supporting those who do not have access to regular meals. We hope that our two days spent in the warehouse helped to speed up the process, and that their new heaters will keep them warm over the coming months!”

Gemma Whaley, Logistics Manager at Newcastle West End Food Bank, said: “We’re thrilled that the team from Barratt Developments were able to dedicate their time and resources to our charity. It’s vital that the food donations are sorted and categorised, in order for us to deliver them to those who need it most. Barratt’s generous donation will also help to keep the warehouse volunteers much warmer during the winter season, and we’re incredibly grateful for this!”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Richard Savage .