Staff at the Shildon Depot of Durham Foodbank were delighted to learn that they were to be the beneficiaries of a staff fundraising event at Sunderland-based company, Identity Consult. Staff at the quantity surveying firm were able to buy an extra day’s holiday over the Christmas period with all the funds raised going to the Shildon charity, operated from the town’s Salvation Army.
Shildon – home town of Identity Consult’s Managing Director, David Dent – is one of 25 distribution centres operated on behalf of Durham Foodbank. The project is run by the Durham Christian Partnership and which has grown from a single centre in Durham city into a county-wide project feeding over 15,000 people this year, up from 10,000 last year.
Each member of the Identity Consult staff paid £25 for their extra day’s holiday while company directors paid double. In all, the firm raised a total of £775 which was handed over to Peter Maclellan, Director of Durham Foodbank, and Derick Dunn of the Shildon branch of the Salvation Army by Identity Consult’s Financial Controller, Beverley Reece.
“All of the staff were very keen to help this worthy cause,” said Ms Reece. “We are in the fortunate position where we can afford to buy an extra day’s holiday but there are so many people in our communities who are not so lucky. The company already sponsors Shildon Football Club and the Shildon AFC Development Centre so it was natural to choose the Shildon Depot of Durham Foodbank for our support.”
Identity Consult Managing Director, David Dent said, “I grew up in Shildon and have retained an involvement with the town. Our support with this initiative is just another way of putting something back into a frontline service where hopefully some less fortunate than ourselves will not have to make the decision between heating or food; maybe now they can have both.”
For anyone wishing to help Durham Foodbank by making a cash or food donation or by volunteering; or to find out more about distribution and collection centres, its Christmas appeal and other ways to help, further information is available at the Durham Foodbank website at durhamfoodbank.org.uk.
Shildon & District's local community newspaper.
