Coopers Square team up with YMCA to help combat ‘Holiday Hunger’

Every Tuesday – between 23 July and 27 August – Coopers Square’s appeal will help feed local children

Coopers Square and YMCA, the largest and oldest youth charity in the world, are joining forces to make sure local children who usually have free school meals are not missing out during the summer holidays.

Schools right across Burton-upon-Trent will be swinging their doors closed for the six-week holiday and for some children, it means they will not have access to free dinners and will experience ‘Holiday Hunger’.

Burton’s largest shopping centre, however, is looking to combat this and through the help of its Barrel O’Fun kids’ club, which will run every Tuesday between 23 July and 27 August (10am-3pm), a donation bin for Burton YMCA Food Bank will be in position to help.

The donation bin will be situated next to our Barrel O’ Fun kids’ club in the centre square and Coopers Square is now calling on its local community to assist with the cause with invaluable dried, canned and jarred donations.

To date, for 2019, Burton YMCA Food Bank has given out 1,101 food parcels. In comparison, the total for the whole of 2018 was 1,533. Each parcel provides enough food for three meals for three days and last year Burton YMCA Food Bank helped over 1,980 people in the Burton area.

The best goods to donate are cereal, biscuits, instant rice, noodles or pasta, pasta sauce, tea, coffee and sugar, tinned fruit and vegetables and tinned fish.

David Chadfield, centre manager at Coopers Square, said: “We’re delighted to be able to support Burton YMCA Foodbank during this summer. The team there do an incredible amount of work in the local community.

“Cooper’s Square Barrel O’Fun kids’ club has been well received by local children and we’re excited that we have got six consecutive weeks of sessions running during the holidays. With that, we have got an opportunity to give something back to those who may need help this summer and I would urge as many people as possible to come down and support this collection and combat Holiday Hunger.”

Elle Warrener, service development manager, added: “By far the biggest reason for people using our foodbank is simply that there is not enough money coming in to fully cover the cost of bills. These are mostly families that are working and for a number of reasons don’t have enough money to live on.

“Changes to a benefit payment, or making a new claim, are also common reasons that will cause someone to need food parcels. If you feel that you can help us to keep providing this much-needed service, please donate what you can.”

Food can also be donated at their main collection centre – Reconnect, James Street, Burton upon Trent, DE14 2ED.

For more information visit coopersquare.co.uk/holidayhunger.