oAN urgent appeal for food and other emergency supplies has been made by Mustard Tree organisation , a charity based in  Eccles and Little Hulton.

Mustard Tree works with different groups including the long-term unemployed, homeless people, those suffering from an addiction or poor mental health, with a criminal record, refugees, asylum seekers and people living in poverty.

The organisation operates in two service delivery levels: provision and progression.

First of all, people in need are provided with basic supplies such as food, clothing and furniture, building a trusting relationship.

Then, they are offered with life-skills, training, volunteering, education, mentoring and employment opportunities in order to help them become productive members of the society and escape their current state of life for good.

The supplies are gathered by donations made to the organisation’s Food Club which works as an alternative model of food banks.

Jon Coleman, the fundraising officer of Mustard Tree, commented: “The issue with food banks is that often people try avoid using them because there is a stigma and loss of dignity that comes from receiving a hand out.

“With our food club, members pay a £2 weekly subscription and in return they receive £15 worth of food that supplements their weekly food shop.”

Demand for supplies has increased since last year, making the work of the organisation even harder.

Mr Coleman said: “We have been receiving more food donations this year, however with the constant increasing in demand we have found that we are needing more and more donations so that we can continue to provide for people who are in need.”

Mr Coleman hopes that after the recent appeal, Mustard Tree will be provided with enough supplies to meet their high demands.

“The appeal was fairly recent so we haven’t seen any donations or donation offer as a result yet, however we are receiving a lot of attention already, particularly online, so we believe that there will be a good response to this appeal”  he added.

To get more information about the organisation and how to donate supplies visit the Mustard Tree website here.

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