Local charity Chichester District Foodbank has rapidly adapted the way it works so it can continue to support people across the district.
Funding raised by players of People’s Postcode Lottery has enabled the organisation to provide the help that’s needed during this challenging time. Changes to the way the foodbank operates were discussed in a film, viewed by more than 19,500 people across Britain on the lottery’s Facebook page.
Chichester District Foodbank was awarded £20,000 from People’s Postcode Trust – a grant giving charity funded by players of the lottery – for its holiday lunch pack scheme and is continuing to provide vital support to local families in the area. It has made huge changes to the way it operates to ensure children and their families are not going hungry.
The foodbank, which usually operates as a centre where people come in to collect a package of food and provides lunch boxes to children in the school holidays for those on free school meals, quickly changed to a delivery service and immediately began providing lunchboxes for those children when schools closed.
Joanne Kondabeka, CEO at Chichester District Foodbank, said: “Our team has been wonderful in their dedication to making the changes necessary to get help to those who need it. We’ve been able to deliver extra food parcels to all the children who were due to receive them in the Easter holidays, so they were receiving them immediately when the schools closed which was a huge relief.
“Support from players of People’s Postcode Lottery has helped with staffing costs at what is a really busy time for us, as well as enabling us to increase the protection for our volunteers by purchasing the necessary equipment, and allowing us to buy the increased number of boxes that we need for the amount of deliveries we’re now getting out.”
Laura Chow, head of charities at People’s Postcode Lottery, said: “It’s been hugely inspiring to see the incredible response of local charities to the current situation. Players of People’s Postcode Lottery support local causes across Britain and these groups know what their communities need best, so we are pleased to be able to provide the flexibility in their funding so they can deliver whatever that is without any delays.”
Players of People’s Postcode Lottery have raised over £500 million for more than 7,500 good causes. Projects in every postcode area in Britain have been supported with this funding.
For more information on People’s Postcode Lottery, please visit www.postcodelottery.co.uk or Facebook and Twitter.