Community round-up: Goold Estates lends support to West Midlands food bank and six other local charities
A food bank in Bilston that supported hundreds of families during the pandemic, has used a financial donation from Goold Estates to bring some Christmas cheer to local people.
Excel Church Food Bank delivered hampers containing gifts, toys and food to several local hostels and women’s refuges during the festive period.
The Church has been a leader in the community since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, making more than a hundred deliveries per week to people in need.
Goold Estates was recently announced as preferred developer for the City of Wolverhampton Council’s Bilston Urban Village employment site and it was through the partnership that the firm’s charity manager, Graham Bell was introduced to the charity.
Graham said: “Excel Church is providing excellent support in the local community. You can see from visiting the foodbank, just how hard the team is working to keep this service going. We hope that through our donation, the Church can continue to support people and families who need it.” John Raj, who coordinates the project, said: “As Bilston is a deprived area, we knew that the foodbank would be an essential lifeline in our community. During the pandemic we were able to strengthen existing links with local schools and deliver food parcels and toiletries to support families. We have been blessed with over 100 volunteers who have given up their time to help. Thanks to Goold Estates for its very generous donation.”
Donations making a difference to six Midlands charities
Goold Estates has supported a further six local good causes in the last quarter.
The property investment and development company traditionally shares Christmas gifts with its tenants but in the wake of ongoing challenges faced by the local community that have been worsened by the pandemic, it chose to donate funds to a selection of carefully chosen charities on its tenants’ behalf.
- Acorns Children’s Hospice Trust
- Black Country Foodbank
- Midland Mencap
- Santa’s Black Country Toy Appeal
- Sandwell Young Carers
- Walsall Society for the Blind
One of those charities, Santa’s Black Country Toy Appeal distributed 7,047 gifts to children and young people across the Black Country last Christmas, who may otherwise have thought Santa had forgotten them.
Its chair, Trevor Fielding, expressed his thanks for Goold’s donation. “Without you, we could not have reached so many children and young people, so sincere thanks and we hope you will wish to support us again this year,” he said.
