Birstall Volvo supplier in emergency support campaign for food banks

The findings are from Hauliers Against Hunger, which was founded by Crossroads Truck and Bus, whose headquarters are on Pheasant Drive just off junction 27 of the M62.

The research was held in conjunction with The Trussell Trust and is renewing its support for community food banks. The campaign has made regular donations of food and essentials and has raised £25,000 since last April.

However, organisers say more help is needed. Staff at the Crossroads depot in Birstall are among those actively involved in the campaign.

Gareth Legg, Managing Director at Crossroads, said: “We are renewing our commitment to work alongside food banks to provide on-going assistance throughout 2023 as part of the Hauliers Against Hunger campaign.

“One of the smaller food banks that we support recently sent out 21 emergency parcels in a single day for children containing food for a week. Those parcels went out in a relatively affluent area but that’s 21 children who otherwise would not have received a week’s proper food.”

The Trussell Trust supports a nationwide network of food banks and provides emergency food parcels, along with other types of help and advice, while working towards lifting people out of long-term poverty.

Laura Chalmers, Trussell Trust area manager for Yorkshire and Humberside, said: “We are expecting a very difficult year. Food and energy prices remain high and people on low incomes are among the worst affected.

“Many food banks are now revising their opening hours to ensure people who are working can access support.

“One in five of the people referred to food banks in our network last year were from working households. Over a six-month period we distributed 1.3m food parcels. Half a million of these parcels were for children.

“The Hauliers Against Hunger campaign could not be happening at a more important time. Our food banks desperately need support and I cannot thank everybody enough.”

Crossroads Truck & Bus, which supplies and services Volvo commercial vehicles, operates depots throughout Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, including sites at Birstall, Boroughbridge, Hull, Lincoln, Normanton, Scunthorpe and Stallingborough.

Each depot is twinned with a local food bank so that Crossroads staff and customers can make food donations or take part in fund-raising events.