Following a successful summer campaign, the College of West Anglia (CWA) have re-launched a campaign to raise money to support local foodbanks in the run up to Christmas.
The original foodbank fundraising initiative, in partnership with London South East Colleges’ throughout lockdown, saw over £40,000 raised between 30 colleges. The initiative is being re-launched as #FestiveFEFoodbankFriday to support local foodbanks in the run up to Christmas, helping many vulnerable people from buying the basic items they need.
CWA Principal, David Pomfret, said:
“We are committed to supporting the most vulnerable in our local communities during the current crisis and are joining with Further Education colleges across the country in the #FestiveFEFoodbankFriday initiative.
We are living in extraordinary and difficult times and never before has it been more important to help one another. Good can come out of every crisis and that is certainly what we are seeing here at the College of West Anglia as we come together with other colleges across the country to support our local communities in need.”
Health and Social Care students donated over 390 items to King’s Lynn Foodbank for Christmas back in 2019.
With the Covid-19 pandemic continuing to have significant social and economic impact on so many people, foodbanks across the country are reporting a huge rise in demand. All monies raised will be donated to three local food banks, run by The Trussell Trust, across King’s Lynn, Wisbech and Cambridge.
Sam Parrett, Group CEO, London & South East Education Group, said:
“As the pandemic continues to impact so many people, it is imperative that we pull together to support one another. As a social enterprise, our College operates at the heart of our communities and sadly food poverty continues to affect too many people.
In the run up to the festive period we will be running a number of virtual activities to raise as much money as possible – as well as collecting as many actual donations as we can. Christmas can be a difficult time for many people and our aim is to help make it a bit easier for families in our community.
We very much hope we will receive the same amazing support that we did for our previous foodbank campaign, which saw over £40,000 raised between 30 colleges for foodbanks around the country. After such a tough year, this support is much needed.”
If you would like to donate to local foodbanks in your area and pledge your support to #FestiveFEFoodbankFriday, you can do so at CWA’s JustGiving page: