Jarrow's Bilton Hall Community Trust delivering hot meals and food packages to over 100 struggling families during coronavirus lockdown

Despite being forced to close to the public, Bilton Hall Community Trust has set up a dedicated service for families who are financially struggling and those who are self isolating.

The service, in partnership with Food For Thought Pantry CIC and Bede’s Helping Hands Food Bank, has already provided over 200 packed lunches to those in need and are delivering around 20-30 hot meals to vulnerable residents each day.

The deliveries are being done by long term Bilton Hall volunteers and they believe it is now more important than ever to support the local community.

Centre Manager Joanna Tuck said: “We deem this new partnership as an essential service for our local community, its keeping the community confidence up, we have a lot of older, vulnerable residents in our area and we will be keeping this as our focus in the coming months, with daily well being checks, shop runs for essential items and just a general chit chat on the phone to keep the spirits of these people up giving the situation we all are facing.

Food for Thought Pantry CIC have set up daily menus for those in need and was set up in August 2019 to provide catering services and cooking workshops to the local community.

Bilton Hall volunteers will be carrying out this service throughout the coronavirus crisis and hope to support as many vulnerable people as needed.

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