Wealden MP, Nus Ghani, has presented “Wealden Hero” certificates to the four team leaders who manage foodboxes for Crowborough Foodbank.
The certificates were presented to Nicky Tierney, Lin Arney, Iain Luxford and Carol Roberts at the Croft Road Church base of Crowborough Foodbank recently.
The awards are part of a scheme set up by Ms Ghani to thank and celebrate people in the Wealden community who have gone the extra mile to support the community during the coronavirus pandemic. A total of only 100 awards will be made across the district.
She said: “I am delighted to announce that four team leaders of the Crowborough Foodbank have been awarded the Wealden Hero Award this week. At the beginning of April, Crowborough Foodbank lost many of its volunteers from active duties, as they were shielding or vulnerable. This coincided with the relocation of the warehouse, so that social distancing measures could be implemented.”
The four volunteers immediately stood in as team leaders and oversaw the reorganisation process. Ms Ghani added: “Due to their superb organisation, the foodbank was operating seamlessly again within a week. Their teams of volunteers have then resumed collecting food from supermarkets, sorting, boxing, and allocating items, managing referrals, and delivering it to addresses across the area.”
So far this year, Crowborough Foodbank, which started in 2014 has provided more than 12,500 meals to over 1,400 people in need – more than in any complete year previously.
Ms Ghani said: “The Crowborough Foodbank team have done an amazing job in adapting their services to the situation and accommodating for the needs of the most vulnerable people in the community.”
Iain Luxford, who manages external communications for Crowborough Foodbank as well as the weekly delivery service, said: “We’re obviously delighted to have Foodbank’s work recognised in this way. Really, though, the certificates belong to all the volunteers who give of their time to help us collect food, organise it, box it and deliver it. This is what community is all about – we are part of it and we have a responsibility for every member of it. We will continue to support families in crisis in this area for as long as the need is there.”
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