SOLIHULL charities have been handed a cash boost to help feed families over the summer holidays.
Chelmsley Wood based Entraide was handed £2,500 to deliver much-needed food parcels to refugee and vulnerable migrant families from Western Power Distribution (WPD).
And Castle Bromwich’s Kingfisher Foodbank, a Trussell Trust foodbank was awarded £1,750 to help cater for increased demand this Summer by the electricity network operator.
WPD awarded grants totalling £73,000 from its Community Matters Fund to charities, local councils and community groups across the region to help families struggling to put food on the table.
According to WPD during the school holidays, there is always higher demand at food banks, often from families that rely on term-time free school meals – and research in 2019 highlighted that there were children at risk of ‘holiday hunger’.
Felix Kupay, chair of Entraid (Mutual Aid), said: “Refugees are amongst the most vulnerable members of our society.
“The award from WPD will enable our organisation to deliver food vouchers to refugee and migrant families in Solihull and the surrounding area, so that their children don’t go hungry during the summer holidays.
“We’d like to say a big thank you to Western Power Distribution for its much-needed support.”
Andrea Chance-Osman, project manager at the Kingfisher Foodbank, said “This will help us to purchase food at a time where we are seeing an increase in people needing our foodbank and a decrease in donations.
“All due to the rise in the cost of living.
“Thanks to WPD the grant will enable our foodbank to continue to provide emergency food parcels for people who are in financial difficulties.”
