A Preston housing association is helping vulnerable people put food on the table during the coronavirus pandemic.
AdvertisementCommunity Gateway Association (CGA) is working with FareShare, Preston City Council, schools, faith organisations and charities to get food to those who urgently need it.
Julie Lee, Head of Service at CGA, said: “We are running our own food hub twice a week, delivering essential supplies to our customers who we know might be particularly affected, such as the elderly or self-isolating – whether in sheltered schemes or in the community.
“Colleagues have been busy making up and delivering food parcels to homes across Preston. We are proud to say that since the crisis began, we have distributed more than 2,300 food parcels to Preston households.
“Everyone has been really appreciative that we can support them like this and amazed at the quality, variety and quantity of the food they received.
“It has been a bittersweet job for all involved. One of the deliveries on Monday was to an elderly single gentleman in his 70s; he is self-isolating and hadn’t seen anyone in 10 days. With no family support, when he received a welfare call from us, he was so thankful we had remembered him.
“When we later rang him to say we were dropping the parcel off, he was so happy and close to tears and couldn’t believe he was getting fresh fruit and veg.
“Naturally, we couldn’t do this essential work without the support we receive from local businesses and organisations including James Hall and Co Ltd (Spar), Preston Minster, Booths and Morrisons, so we want to take this opportunity to thank them all.”
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CGA is part of a group of 23 hubs aiming to get food to 1,440 families per week over six weeks, providing a total of 8,640 food parcels and over 43,200 meals.
In addition to the twice-weekly hubs, CGA has also introduced a Mobile Pantry service, which will run during the coronavirus pandemic. This delivers a range of essential foodstuffs, including fresh fruit and veg, teabags and staple items for a nominal £5. Within a week of launch, more than 150 people had signed up.
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CGA Support Hub can be contacted on 0800 953 0213 or via their dedicated website pages.
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