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Darlington engineering firm sets up donation points for in-demand food bank The coronavirus crisis has put strain on the Darlington-based King’s Church Foodbank, but local engineering firm Cleveland Bridge UK has been helping the charitable organisation to regularly replenish its supplies. Cleveland Bridge has established regular collection stations to let its employees more easily donate food. As the spread of COVID-19 broke into a pandemic and demand for King’s Church’s supplies intensified, the charity appealed for further support. The tally of regular recipients of the food bank’s services has swelled by 40% during the public health crisis, with roughly 410 young people and families with children supported. Cleveland Bridge reacted with a new workplace initiative in support of King’s Church. The engineering firm, offices and a factory of which are based on Darlington’s Yarm Road, initially donated a trolley-full of food but later invited its workers to donate extra food items destined to go to local families in need. To donate items such as soup, rice, potatoes and tinned products, employees simply have to leave their donations at collection stations dotted around Cleveland Bridge premises. From these stations, deposited food will be regularly transferred to the Whessoe Road-located food bank. The food bank’s Darlington manager Caroline Todd said: “We’re really grateful for the support we’re receiving from Cleveland Bridge and indeed all local businesses that are supporting us. “Now more than ever, families are relying on our food bank to help get them through this difficult time and any donations we receive make a huge difference to people’s lives in Darlington.”
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Cleveland Bridge managing director Chris Droogan commented: “Our employees engage in support for our community and try whenever possible to contribute to local initiatives like the King’s Church Foodbank, which do such important work in the town.” “It’s important to us that Cleveland Bridge employees support this worthwhile initiative.” It is, however, just one of the various ‘stay at home’ schemes with which the company has been engaged during the pandemic. Cleveland Bridge oversaw a clap for carers right across the company and its 22-acre site and has also, for local children, arranged a fun bridge-building project. This project, which encouraged children to make bridges from household items and show photos of their creations to Cleveland Bridge on social media, was also aimed at inspiring future generations of engineers. To learn more about the services of King’s Church Foodbank and how you can donate, you can visit its website at www.kingschurchdarlington.org/ foodbank.
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