In true gameshow style, each team was given a shopping trolley, a shopping list of the food bank’s most-needed items and a checklist of challenges to complete on the way to the local supermarket.
In return for a £1,500 donation, the teams were given vouchers to shop with. Collectively, the Barratt London volunteers ‘swept’ 327kg of food, which will provide over 420 meals for those experiencing extreme hardship.
Hackney Foodbank was founded in 2012 to support those in crisis and trapped in poverty with compassion and dignity. It has now grown to include six distribution centres as well as the Hackney Giving Van, a mobile food bank that brings food directly to local neighbourhoods.
Jenna Fansa, Head of Fundraising at Hackney Foodbank comments: “We’re so grateful to Barratt London for their recent donation and to their team for taking part in our Supermarket Sweep Challenge. Each month we’re distributing well over £50,000 worth of food and household items to people experiencing extreme hardship, and support like this helps make that happen.”
The charity has more than 200 volunteers, as well as a designated team of caseworkers who offer continued assistance to visitors, ensuring they’re receiving the right benefits, supporting them into employment and helping with grants for furniture, food, fuel and clothing.
“Demand for our food bank has increased by 20% in the past year”, continues Mrs Fansa. “Our caseworker team is working tirelessly to help people address the root causes of poverty and move on to better situations. A donation of £1,500 enables us to provide the equivalent of 2,417 meals for people who would otherwise go hungry.”
Yolanda Jacob, Sales and Marketing Director for Barratt East London, added: “Being able to support a fantastic charity like Hackney Foodbank has been a rewarding experience for all the Barratt volunteers involved. Our East London team is based just over a mile away at Here East, so we’re glad to be making a difference so close to home.”
The donation made to Hackney Foodbank is part of Barratt Homes’ Community Fund, a scheme that gives a donation each month to local charities and organisations, with the goal of supporting the communities at the heart of its developments, helping them to continue growing and thriving.
Yolanda Jacob continues: “As we continue to build homes across East London, we hope our Community Fund donations will make a meaningful difference to the local groups working hard to support the communities that define these neighbourhoods."
Barratt East London currently has homes available across its developments in Bermondsey, Wandsworth, Wembley and Mill Hill. To find out more, visit https://www.barratthomes.co.uk/new-homes/london/.
To find out more about Hackney Foodbank or to access its support, visit: https://www.hackney.foodbank.org.uk/