People needing help from food banks in Sandwell are benefiting from a Christmas collection organised by council staff.
Crates of donated food are going to West Bromwich Food Bank, with £520 raised in cash donations going to Breaking Bread Food Bank in Wednesbury and The Well Food Bank in Tipton.
The council’s education benefits office has organised a collection for several years on the first floor of Sandwell Council House, Oldbury. This year, the team expanded its collection and received donations from across the Council House as well as council offices at Jack Judge House, Oldbury, and Providence Place, West Bromwich.
Items donated by council staff and their families range from pasta, sauce and tins to Christmas puddings and chocolates.
Local companies Clarke Transport’s head office in Oldbury and FCL Global Forwarding Ltd in Smethwick also supported the initiative.
Councillor Steve Trow, cabinet member for core council services, said: “I want to say a big thank you to the council staff who organised this collection and to everyone who donated items or money. Staff in the education benefits office work day in, day out with families who need help and support, so they really understand how difficult some local families are finding it to make ends meet. Their effort over several years to collect items and raise money makes a real difference to local people.
“We also thank the many fantastic volunteers at food banks in Sandwell who support local families all year round.”
Keith Turner, from Elim West Bromwich Community Church, which runs the West Bromwich Food Bank, said: “We would like to say a big thank you to the education benefits office for organising the food collection this Christmas.
“They collected a massive 320 kilos of donations which will make a real difference to residents of West Bromwich and Sandwell who are in crisis, often through no fault of their own. The seasonal donations will also help to make their Christmas a little happier. Thank you again to all who contributed.”
