Big Lottery Fund funds extra support at food banks
Melanie May | 15 December 2015 | News
The Trussell Trust is expanding the services on offer at its foodbanks this winter, with the help of a Big Lottery Fund grant.
With the Trussell Trust preparing for record levels of demand this festive season, the Big Lottery Fund has awarded the charity £748,423. The funding will help it provide extra services at its foodbanks, including debt and money management, welfare and housing advice, and courses on cooking on a budget.
The charity will use the funding to set up partnerships with local and national advice agencies that will enable it to offer support sessions at foodbanks with qualified advisors. For the first time, fuel banks will also be in operation, with the Trussell Trust working with Npower to pilot the banks, which give prepayment meter top ups for people struggling to afford energy as well as food.
Trussell Trust CEO David McAuley, said: “Winter is the hardest time of year for people living on the breadline; many will face stark choices between eating and heating. Increasingly, Trussell Trust foodbanks are able to provide additional support services to help resolve some the underlying causes of foodbank use, and this will be especially impactful over the winter months. The funding couldn’t come at a better time.”
Advertisement
About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.