We are pleased to announce our charity partnership with the Trussell Trust, an organisation that aims to end hunger and poverty in the UK. The Trussell Trust supports more than 1,200 food banks across the UK, including Newtownabbey, to provide a minimum of three days’ nutritionally-balanced emergency food to people in need, as well as providing support to help people resolve the challenges they face. In 2018-19, food banks in the Trussell Trust’s network provided 1.6 million emergency food parcels to people in crisis. More than 550,000 of these went to children.
We will be working with Newtownabbey Food Band to provide financial support from fundraising activities in and around the centre. We will also introduce a new donation drop-off point to the centre, and support with storage space, raising awareness and creating opportunities to recruit volunteers.
Alex Christian, Head of Corporate Partnerships at the Trussell Trust said:
“We are thrilled to have NewRiver as our new corporate partner. We have seen a record demand in food bank use in the last year, with more and more people struggling to afford the basics. This isn’t right.
But thanks to the incredibly vital support from our partners, we’re committed to working towards a future where there is no need for food banks. We’re continually blown away by people’s support to provide emergency help and this kind of generosity from NewRiver shows that as a nation we believe in justice and compassion to change society for the better.”
Mark Stewart, Centre Manager, Abbey Centre said:
“We are delighted to enter into this partnership with Newtownabbey Food Bank, which works tirelessly to support local people in crisis. This is an exciting opportunity for Abbey Centre and, given our position in the heart of the community, we are uniquely placed to help the Newtownabbey Food Bank raise awareness and support those in need. The partnership will also present our own staff with opportunities to volunteer and provide practical help, bringing us even closer to the community we serve.”
To find out more about the Trussell Trust and the Newtownabbey Food Bank visit www.trusselltrust.org and https://www.trusselltrust.org/get-help/find-a-foodbank/newtownabbey/
