ROMSEY Foodbank has received vital financial support from a Hampshire housebuilder.

The food bank operates out of The Freedom Centre in Greatbridge Business Park and provides three to seven days’ worth of nutritionally balanced food to around 500 people every year.

During the cost-of-living crisis, people are using food banks more than ever and they are seen as a vital lifeline in the community.

Keen to offer help, housebuilder Barratt Homes has donated £2,000 to the organisation.

Operations and centre manager Beth Tanton was delighted with the support, saying: “This generous donation will go towards the running of Romsey Foodbank, one of a list of community projects we run here at the Freedom Centre.

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“Staggeringly, one in five people in the UK are now living below the poverty line, so, along with other foodbanks in the country, we are working to ensure no one goes hungry.

“This money will mean we can continue to provide this essential support for the local area. It will also go towards other projects we are working on, which all address the underlying issues people in food crisis face, such as employment and debt advice.”

Anthony Dimmick, Barratt Homes community liaison manager, Southampton Division, said: “Romsey Foodbank is providing a wonderful service for people experiencing poverty in the community, and when we heard about their work, we had to help. It has been a real pleasure to hand over this donation today.” 

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Romsey Foodbank has been passing on food supplies to vulnerable people in the local area for nearly seven years. It relies on food donations from the community along with support from its 40-strong team of volunteers.

Like other foodbanks in the UK, the organisation partners with a wide range of care professionals such as doctors, health visitors, social workers, and police, to identify people in crisis. Those referred are then issued with a foodbank voucher, which can be redeemed for three days' worth of emergency food.

The Freedom Centre is part of Freedom Church, a non-denominational church that started meeting in a home in Romsey over 40 years ago. Since then, the church has grown into a pivotal part of Romsey life, running community projects that have helped hundreds of local residents.