A local company is stepping in to support Holbeach Community Larder with regular fresh vegetables after the independent food bank said supermarket donations have reduced significantly.
DGM Growers has agreed to provide vegetables to the larder, which supplies food parcels to people in the Holbeach area. To launch the partnership, staff at the company recently held a collection to gather additional supplies.
Food bank says demand is increasing
Liz Walker, treasurer of Holbeach Community Larder, said the donation would provide important short-term help as the charity faces increasing demand and higher costs.
“Any donation like this is a big help in the short term.”
She said the larder was receiving fewer contributions from supermarkets and now had to buy much of the food included in its parcels.
“Demand for our service continues to grow but the donations we receive from supermarkets have reduced significantly and we now have to buy much of what goes in our parcels.”
Walker also said some supermarkets appeared to be favouring schemes such as “Good to Go” instead of donating surplus food to food banks.
Further collection planned
She thanked everyone at DGM Growers for the support and said the company was continuing to offer fresh vegetables. A further collection is planned around Halloween, giving staff another opportunity to gather supplies for the larder.
The partnership comes as Holbeach Community Larder works to maintain the contents of its parcels despite the reported reduction in supermarket donations. The larder is described as an independent charity.