18 Aug Bellway sets up donation box at Poppy View in Saffron Walden to help Uttlesford Foodbank
Food items are being collected at a new housing development in Saffron Walden to help people in need in the area.
Homebuilder Bellway, which is building properties at its Poppy View site in the town, has donated essential items to the Uttlesford Foodbank, which provides emergency food and care parcels to families and individuals in the area.
And it has set up a donation box in the sales office at the development so that staff and visitors can also donate.
Uttlesford Foodbank General Manager, Katy Mendes-Day, said: “Uttlesford Foodbank has been supporting the communities of Uttlesford for 10 years this year, providing food and essential household products for individuals and families who find themselves in times of financial crisis.
“We have seen an exponential rise in demand for our services since the pandemic, increasing three-fold in the last four years, and we are now facing the added pressure of dwindling donations due to the cost-of-living crisis. We’re incredibly grateful to Bellway for their interest in and support for the work that we do.”
The shortfall in donations means that Uttlesford Foodbank is having to use funds to buy supplies rather than solely relying on items people give them.
The donation box will be at Poppy View until Sunday 25 August.
Jenny Walker, Sales Director for Bellway Essex, said: “It is heartbreaking to think that people are in such need that they do not have enough food, or lack other essentials. Thank goodness Uttlesford Foodbank is working to provide this lifeline. We are happy to support its efforts with our donation of food and by keeping a donation box in our sales office so that those who visit us at Poppy View can also add to the supplies.”
The foodbank, which operates from a warehouse in Saffron Walden and also has depots in Stansted and Dunmow, is currently particularly short of nappies and children’s toothpaste. Tinned fruit, vegetables and pulses are running low as are bottles of squash, oats, soup and instant coffee.
