Watford Foodbank collection point at Tesco in Watford. Credit: Watford Foodbank Facebook The manager of Watford Foodbank has given an insight into just how in-demand the service has been over the last year. Thousands of people across the town have relied on food parcels and other support since the nation was plunged into lockdown last spring. The Trussell Trust has reported foodbanks in its network across the east of England have provided 245,000 emergency food parcels to people facing crisis between April 2020 and March 2021, including 102,000 to children. In Watford, more than 10,700 parcels were distributed to people over that time period, including 4,143 children. The figure of more than 10,700 was up from just under 7,500 the year before.
A Bushey school has donated 162 cereal boxes to Watford Foodbank as part of a drive to raise environmental awareness. Longwood School and Nursery undertook a box domino challenge where the youngsters piled high as many of the recyclable boxes as possible before handing them over. Headteacher Claire May was delighted that the idea was such a success after it came to her attention via Facebook. She said: “It really caught everyone’s attention and it’s been such a great way to collect donations for a great local cause.”
Schoolchildren and a teacher laying out cereal boxes Longwood pupils have also been planting sunflower seeds to enhance the school grounds and have earned a green award for their School Travel Plan.
Chairmen Enoch Kanagaraj and Harjit Singh from One Vision Project Three charities have been able to provide vital support to people affected by the pandemic thanks to funding. Charities Ascend, Watford Foodbank and One Vision were awarded grants totalling £10,000 by Three Rivers District Council from a hardship fund set up by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). The extra funding is helping the charities support the community with food parcels, support with gas and electric payments and essential supplies including cooking equipment. Ascend’s Step in - Take Away food hub has helped more than 276 people including a young mum who needed a microwave and pots and pans to cook meals. The grant also meant the hub could help a person who had no money to top up their gas meter.
Charities are lifeline for people in Three Rivers and Watford watfordobserver.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from watfordobserver.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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Warwick Township Mayor Jackie Rombouts and Coun. Wayne Morris presented resident Maryanne Cundick with the 2020 Senior of the Year award on Dec. 15.
Each year the municipality honours a senior who has made an outstanding voluntary contribution to enrich the social, cultural or civic life of the community.
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Try refreshing your browser. Cundick named Warwick Senior of the Year Back to video
Cundick has been the volunteer coordinator of the Watford Food bank since it opened in 2012, is a member of the Watford Rotary Club and has been a tireless volunteer within the community, Rombouts said.