We’ve been privileged to meet the dedicated team behind Lee Chapel North’s Helping Hands foodbank appeal, which supports struggling families in the Basildon district.
The recent beneficiary of a Chelmsford Star Community Fund grant to the value of £3,000, the food bank has been supporting those in financial crisis across the region for the last few years. We met the brains behind the operation, Chairman John McKay, who described their efforts to keep the destitute and hungry supported and fed, which included him performing multiple house-calls to drop off food parcels and not a single day off in almost four years. “I’m not into holidays,” he said. “Not when there’s work to do.”
As well as regularly supporting twenty families at a time, all referred to them by local authorities, they also provide a selection of food to be collected at their distribution centre in Lee Chapel North Community Hall, which means they are available to all if they find themselves in an unexpected emergency.
Despite themselves being victims of a recent arson attack, which destroyed several of their onsite facilities, the team continue to do all they can to support the Lee Chapel North community. They are a worthy beneficiary of our grant which will be used to pay core costs and to make repairs to the site. For more information, visit Lee Chapel North Community Centre on facebook. For more on our Community Fund, check here.