A NEW charitable foundation funded by Cadent has committed £240,000 to help a network of food banks as they seek to support people affected by coronavirus.
The fund’s advisory board agreed to fast-track a grant to the Trussell Trust, which supports more than 1,200 food bank centres.
Julia Dwyer, Director, Cadent Foundation, commented: “Food banks are facing a huge challenge right now, with supplies low and many of their army of volunteers falling into categories that really must self-isolate – just at the time when the need for food bank services is greatest.
“Part of the core mission of our new foundation is to help people living in vulnerable circumstances.
“We had to do something in response to the coronavirus.
“Our advisory board met on Wednesday and unanimously agreed this financial support.”
Cadent Foundation will have between £5m to £7m to be granted every year to charities and community groups based in North West England, the Midlands, South Yorkshire, East of England and the North London area.
The Foundation will receive a set annual share of Cadent’s after-tax profits every year.
Sophie Carre, Head of Corporate Partnerships, Trussell Trust, added:
“As the coronavirus pandemic develops, more people than ever may need help from food banks across our network.
“This presents a huge additional pressure on already overstretched resources.
“We may start to see a reduction in food donations and volunteers may become unavailable if they are in the at-risk categories or are self-isolating.
“It’s hard for us to say exactly what the picture will look like in the coming weeks across the UK as each food bank in our network is a local charity, run by a community for their local community, and each will be affected differently.
“We’re working closely with our network to understand each food bank’s situation, offer guidance, and work out how we can best support them.
“We know we won’t be able to do this alone, so we are truly grateful for this support from Cadent Foundation.
“Please look at our website to find out more about food banks and coronavirus.”
The first window for the charities and community groups to apply for grants opened on 23 March.
Administered by Charities Trust, these funds will support:
- People – projects that help alleviate suffering and hardship of people in vulnerable situations
- Environment – projects that will help protect and preserve the environment
- Communities – projects that provide a better and healthier community to live in and use
- Research and Innovation – projects that help eliminate harmful emissions and support sustainable energy (grants in this area will only be made through partnership arrangements).
