A local energy supplier, D-ENERGi has donated £1,000 to Manchester Central foodbank.

Since the start of the pandemic, the foodbank has seen in an increase by 227% compared to April 2019. Away from the stockpiling hordes, food bank workers are toiling tirelessly to make sure that no one goes hungry during the virus outbreak.

Lauren Tunnicliffe project manager for the foodbank stated “Thanks to the generosity of our donors and volunteers, we have been able to stay open during this crisis. But this isn’t the end of the story; once the immediate health risk has passed, we will be heading towards an economic crisis with an increase in unemployment and lowered incomes. A decade of austerity has weakened the safety net that is meant to protect us all in this kind of emergency. Donations like this one from D-ENERGi will help us to continue to provide for people affected by the long term impacts this pandemic will have, but the government needs to do more. Across the Trussell Trust network we are calling on the government to ensure that everyone can afford to access the basics.”

Director Zico Ahmed said “D-ENERGi is delighted to help and would like to thank everyone at Manchester Central Foodbank for their essential community service. We will be looking to make Manchester Central foodbank one of our key charities to support over the next few months. In these challenging and difficult times, we would also encourage other businesses throughout the country to support their local food banks if they possibly can.

Currently, the food bank is in need of:

• Long life cartons: milk – whole or semi-skimmed, fruit juice.
• Tinned: spaghetti, custard, rice pudding, fruit, vegetables, baked beans, pulses, meat, fish, tomatoes, soup.
• Jars: spread (jam, peanut butter, marmite etc.) and pasta sauce.
• Packets: soup, noodles, dried pasta, pulses and rice (500g or smaller), biscuits.
• Breakfast cereal or porridge oats (500g packets or smaller).
• Teabags.

People who wish to donate food to Manchester Central Foodbank can do so by contacting the food bank helpline (07928 412339) between 9am-12pm. If you wish to make a cash donation please visit their website at https://manchestercentral.foodbank.org.uk/