Gift you can't eat is a major boost for Doncaster town's foodbank

You may not be able to eat it - but the latest donation to one of Doncaster's foodbanks is still helping those who need help with food.
Pictured are volunteers from the Thorne & Moorends Community Hub Food Bank, with the new van they have been given to help with their work outside their HQ The Thornensians Rugby Club, on Church Balk, Thorne.LtoR. Jackie Rothery and Mick HennesseyPictured are volunteers from the Thorne & Moorends Community Hub Food Bank, with the new van they have been given to help with their work outside their HQ The Thornensians Rugby Club, on Church Balk, Thorne.LtoR. Jackie Rothery and Mick Hennessey
Pictured are volunteers from the Thorne & Moorends Community Hub Food Bank, with the new van they have been given to help with their work outside their HQ The Thornensians Rugby Club, on Church Balk, Thorne.LtoR. Jackie Rothery and Mick Hennessey

That is because the Thorne and Moorends Community Hub and Food Bank has just bought a new van with a donation of nearly £3,000.

The charity was given a local community grant of £2934 from the Co-op, through the local Coop garage at Thorne, the carrier bag levy from Co-op members and Thorne Coop Funeral care.

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They were chosen as the charity the Co-op wanted to support locally.

Glenys Hennessey from the charity said: "We had an old small van to transport food from our unit to the Rugby Club. It had served us well but was in need of a large amount of work which was going to be costly. This Co-op grant was a life saver for us and our community.

"It allowed us to purchase a newer and bigger van. This allows us to transport food and smaller items of donated furniture to those in desperate need."

The Thorne and Moorends Community Hub and Food Bank is a registered charity.

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Glenys said: "We have be supported immensely by Sainsbury’s in partnership with FoodAware Mexborough food bank, Greggs, Thorne Poultry, The real Yorkshire pudding company and Bradbury butchers of Thorne. All the local churches support those in food poverty by donating food. We have regular supporters who donate cash and by bank transfer to help us with our rent and to buy food to replenish our stocks of food.

"We have been overwhelmed by the generosity of people who have donated to us and can’t thank them enough. People in our community are struggling to feed themselves and their families, even those working are feeling the strain through Universal Credit and the austerity measures and cuts. Our volunteers have been working all year to be ready for more families needing our help. The generous donations will allow us to be ready for what ever 2018 brings and beyond.

We launched the Free Press Doncaster Foodbank campaign to call on residents and businesses to help the borough’s foodbanks by making donations of food, or to offer premises as collection points.

The campaign was launched after concerns from foodbank chiefs and Citizens Advice Doncaster Borough, which issues food bank vouchers, over a major surge in demand while the new Universal Credit benefit is being rolled out across Doncaster.

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Donations to Doncaster Foodbank can be dropped off at Tesco Extra at Woodfield Plantation, Woodfield Way, Balby, where there is a permanent collection point at the front of store. Donated food can be delivered to Christ Church any Tuesday or Thursday between 9am and midday. Mexborough has collection points at Mexborough Library and the Children’s Hub.

The Thorne and Moorends Community Hub and Food Bank is open on Wednesday morning 9am to 12pm at Thorne Rugby Club.

Food items which are most urgently needed include tinned fruit, long life fruit juice, tinned rice pudding, tinned meat, pasta sauce and rice. Doncaster Foodbank also takes toiletries, cleaning and sanitary products.