Brimrod Primary harvest season collection for Rochdale Foodbank

Children at Brimrod Primary School in Rochdale have donated an abundant harvest collection to the Rochdale Foodbank this year.

For the past few years, the children at Brimrod have brought items in for Rochdale Foodbank as part of the school’s celebration of harvest.

Volunteers from the foodbank have visited the school in previous years to explain the important role it has within the community.

Volunteer John Rowe, of Rochdale Foodbank, said: “Our harvest collections have just started coming in. The donation from Brimrod was one of the first, and one of the biggest.

“A week or so ago, our stocks were at an all-time low. The number of clients needing emergency food support continues to increase month-on-month. As donations fall off in the summer months, we are in desperate need of the very generous harvest donations we receive from schools and churches.”

Despite typically receiving most donations during harvest and at Christmas, the donations received by the foodbank must last all year so there is enough to go around.

Set up in 2012, the foodbank operates on a voucher system, provided by over 130 agencies in Rochdale who have identified people in crisis, who may struggle to buy food.

The voucher is honoured like a cheque, in exchange for three-days’ worth of goods.

In August this year, the foodbank helped 468 adults and 193 children.

John added: “We have ample stocks of tinned baked beans, soup and vegetables and of dried pasta and tea but we really need donations of pretty much everything else on our list.”

Last year, more than 6,600 three-day emergency food supplies were given to people in crisis at Rochdale Foodbank, providing more than 2,200 children with provisions.

The foodbank currently urgently requires:

• semi-skimmed milk (UHT 1 litre)
• 500g bags of sugar
• pasta sauces
• tinned fruit
• biscuits
• tinned rice pudding
• custard

Donations can be made at:

• Tesco, Silk Street, Sudden, Rochdale, OL11 3ER 
• All of the borough’s libraries
• Many of the borough’s churches
• Co-op stores at Cutgate, Littleborough and Milnrow
• At the back of Rochdale Foodbank on South Parade, Rochdale, OL16 1LR - Opening hours are 11.00am – 12.45pm Monday to Friday. A member of staff will greet you and make sure your donation is safely booked in.

Food can be collected by contacting Dave Hill: 07922 658346