GENEROUS staff at a Solihull sixth form college have united to help those in need by donating to a local food bank.
Last September, staff from The Sixth Form College, Solihull collectively donated 93kg of food to the Cotteridge Food Bank.
This year staff helped by donating sanitary products.
Food banks across the country are urging for people to donate sanitary items. The demand for such products arose after concerns surrounding ‘Period Poverty’ emerged.
Worldwide, women are struggling to purchase basic sanitary products, due to the cost. The five per cent V.A.T on top of the price of these products means that some women are being forced to go without. Some women have even resorted to using newspapers in place of the sanitary products.
Charlotte Simmonds, a sport and health teacher at The Sixth Form College, Solihull, volunteered at the Cotteridge Food Bank weekly throughout the summer.
After discovering the demand for essential sanitary products, she encouraged fellow staff to donate money and/or hygiene items.
In total, £143 worth of sanitary products were purchased to donate.
Miss Simmonds commented: “I’ve never purchased so many sanitary items all at once, but I was thrilled to do so and I thank my colleagues for their amazing generosity. These items will make a big difference to the lives of the women who receive them.”
Cotteridge Food Bank also exchange vouchers for three days-worth of food to those in need.
They are looking for people to donate items such as: baked beans, tinned spaghetti, tinned fish, tinned meat, UHT milk, pasta sauces, cooking rice, jam, custard and fruit juice.
To find out more about the Cotteridge Food Bank, visit their website at b30.foodbank.org.uk/news/
