Volunteers and staff at Shildon Alive! (A Saint John’s Church Project) were ecstatic this week as the October 1,000 can challenge drew to an end.
The challenge was about encouraging the community of Shildon to support the community of Shildon with donations of tins of food for the foodbank.
In 2016 the bank at Shildon Alive distributed over 7,000 meals to local people along with offering signposting and support to take people out of food poverty.
With wide community support for the initiative tins were collected throughout October at Saint John’s CofE (Aided) Primary School; Timothy Hackworth Primary School; Thornhill Gardens Primary School; Byerley Road Pre-School; Busy Bees Fundraising group; Shildon Town Council; Saint John’s Church; New Shildon All Saints Scouts, and PPG Paints.
“The people of Shildon have smashed it” announced Mrs Davina Tomlinson of Saint John’s Church as the final tally was made. “2,667 tins of food have been donated, an increase of over 600 on last year, our biggest collection ever.”
Rev’d David Tomlinson, Vicar of the parish commented: “There was a slogan coined at the beginning of the austerity measures – ‘we are all in this together.’ In Shildon people have really shown that we are, the generosity is staggering, the many warm words really encouraging, and the lives changed because people care is truly inspiring.”
Mrs Paula Nelson, project manager, went on to explain that the foodbank is really about ordinary people, supporting ordinary people. “People come in in tears” she explained, “this is not about supporting people who can’t support themselves, this is about people dealt the kind of life blows that could keep them down for years.
“Fortunately there are enough people who care that we can give them a hand back up again.”
Shildon & District's local community newspaper.
