Bradford’s poverty-stricken were given a big helping hand this week thanks to a link-up between Queensbury Life Church and Keelham Farm Shop in Thornton ““ and the generosity of customers.
On Saturday October 2011 hundreds of shoppers rallied to a call from Life Church volunteers and Keelham Farm to buy one extra item each to donate to emergency food parcel charity, Bradford Foodbank. Trollies were filled with 720 foods items, such as tins and cereals, with a retail value of nearly £700. The stockpile was then given a further boost by donations from Keelham Farm itself, to more than double the value of goods to £1,400.
Keelham Farm Shop have decided due to the success of last year and the importance of the cause they will doing this event again on October 20th 2012. 13million people in the UK live in poverty, and every day people go hungry for reason ranging from redundancy to an unexpected bill on a low income. Keelham Farm Shop will match the retail value of donations collected with stock which is needed, so by donating an item worth 50p it will be worth £1 to the Foodbank! Together, we can make a real difference to people in crisis.
Bradford Foodbank works with a number of agencies in the city to supply three-day emergency food parcels to families in crisis. It was the charity chosen by Queensbury Life Church for this year’s Harvest Festival.
Life Church pastor, Mark Chenery, said: “We are delighted with the generosity people have shown. These food parcels will make a real difference to families who find themselves in dire need.
“Bradford has some of the poorest levels of social deprivation in the UK, particularly in these times of economic hardship ““ and help like this proves crucial.”
Multi award-winning Keelham Farm Shop, on Brighouse and Denholme Road, annually raises thousands of pounds for local and national charities. The shop’s Victoria Robertshaw said: “It’s all about putting something back in to the local communities that themselves support us on a regular basis. Feeding people is what we’re all about and we are more than happy to champion such a worthy cause.”
Gareth Jones, Bradford Foodbank manager, said: “Our aim is to provide emergency food relief to people in need and also to empower them to take control of their situation through a comprehensive sign-posting service that links them into to wider support services. It’s a true community service and we welcome the weekend’s fantastic effort at Keelham.”