School’s pupils give foodbank a boost

Schoolchildren helped boost stocks at a foodbank that helps dozens of desperate families each month.
East Durham Trust's Malcolm Fallow, left, with Year 2 pupils from Cotsford Infant School and foodbank volunteer Kenneth Lincoln.East Durham Trust's Malcolm Fallow, left, with Year 2 pupils from Cotsford Infant School and foodbank volunteer Kenneth Lincoln.
East Durham Trust's Malcolm Fallow, left, with Year 2 pupils from Cotsford Infant School and foodbank volunteer Kenneth Lincoln.

Feed (Food Emergency East Durham) is a project run by East Durham Trust that supports around 150 people every month by giving emergency food parcels to those who find themselves in financial crisis.

To date the project supported 4,500 people, but bosses say it is only possible through the continued generosity of the people of East Durham.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

In June, July and August the project received more than 700 referrals from a wide range of support service professionals for assistance for people in food crisis and of that total, over 300 were children.

In recent weeks the trust reported depleting stocks of food due to the school’s summer holiday period.

But children, parents and staff from Cotsford Infant School in Horden collected for the Feed project as part of their Harvest Festival, along with performing harvest songs at Jack Dormand Care Home.

East Durham Trust officials went to collect their donations and thank them for their generosity.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

School headteacher Rachel Cook said: “We are doing quite a bit of work with children on how we can support people a little less fortunate than ourselves.

“I think we did really well and on the day there was bagfuls of goods and we had quite a spread.”

Trust chief executive Malcolm Fallow explained. “Some families are clearly reliant on school support for regular meals and this has hit us hard this year – thankfully the public have responded in the way that Cotsford Infant’s School have done.”

Related topics: