The Lifestyle Centre in Beighton are distributing food boxes with Easter eggs to families with school-aged children throughout the Easter holidays.
The centre has been running a food bank since April 2020 and decided to keep the scheme running when they saw the government wasn’t continuing their free meals scheme.
The Lifestyle Centre in Beighton
Steve Edmonds, 64, trustee manager of Beighton Village Development Trust said: “We saw a need for emergency food support, so we provided it.”
The centre is COVID-secure with all visitors and staff following social distancing rules by setting up a marquee in the car park so that families can collect their hampers safely.
It is a solely volunteer-run organisation that receives financial and food donations from the public to support their work.
They also receive supplies from local supermarkets and Fareshare Yorkshire, a community of independent franchised charities fighting hunger, food insecurity issues and food waste.
An example of food boxes offered to families
Mr Edmonds says an increase in the amount of food being distributed by the centre may be due to a lack of jobs available when parents and carers come off of the government’s furlough scheme.
Plans are in place for the food bank to continue after lockdown eases and anyone with school-age children in need of a box can send them a private message on Facebook or call 0114 247 8383 during office hours.
The centre are not asking for any referrals, just the home postcode and the number of children living in the home.
Holiday hampers will also be available for collection on Thursday 1st April between 9am and 1pm from the Lifestyle Centre, High Street, Beighton, S20 1HE.
You can donate to the foodbank by contributing to the food bin outside the centre’s front door or by contacting them through Facebook.