Cost of living: Locala donates £20,000 to Batley Foodbank to help those most in need

From left to right: Andrew, volunteer driver at Batley Foodbank, Gemma Hutcheson, communications officer at Locala and Claire Jennings, manager at
Batley Foodbank. — From left to right: Andrew, volunteer driver at Batley Foodbank, Gemma Hutcheson, communications officer at Locala and Claire Jennings, manager at Batley Foodbank.

A food bank in Batley has received a significant donation this month to ensure that those in need are able to receive support amid the cost of living crisis.

The donation has come from Locala Health and Wellbeing as part of the healthcare provider’s social enterprise commitment.

As part of this, Batley Foodbank on Blakeridge Lane received £20,000. The money donated will go towards daily essentials and cupboard staples to help the local community.

Claire, manager at Batley Foodbank, said: “We are so grateful for this donation. It’s helped us to keep buying the food, which we purchase weekly. It’s also helped fund our drivers to get the food to those who need it the most.

From left to right: Mary Wishart, director of strategy and partnerships at Locala, Emma Greenough, fundraising manager at The Welcome Centre and Gemma Hutcheson, communications officer at Locala.

“Without the support of donations, we wouldn’t be able to support those in need.

“The average price for a food parcel for a single person is £20, and a third of that comes from donations.”

On top of this, a further £20,000 was also donated to The Welcome centre food bank in Huddersfield.

Locala’s chief executive, Karen Jackson said: “We’re delighted to be able to support the fantastic work being carried out by both The Welcome Centre and Batley Foodbank and we know that Locala’s donation will benefit the local community.

“We visited the food banks earlier this month and saw first-hand the incredible work that staff and volunteers are doing to ensure the most vulnerable people in our communities are receiving support.

“The cost-of-living crisis has impacted millions of people across the country, and many are struggling to access the essentials they need every single day.

“With the rates ever increasing, food banks need support now more than ever.”

During the cost-of-living crisis, people are using food banks more than ever and they are seen as a vital lifeline in the community.

People can support foodbanks in several ways, including volunteering or donations.

For more information about the Batley Foodbank, visit https://batleyfoodbank.org.uk/how-to-donate/

Locala provides community healthcare services to people living in Kirklees, as well as a number of other regions, and is a social enterprise, meaning that it has a responsibility to provide additional benefits to the communities it serves.

Services are delivered on behalf of the NHS and local authorities. For more information visit, www.locala.org.uk