Salford Foodbank

Families struggling with food poverty are being supported by Salford Foodbank due to a new programme from Morrisons that allows shoppers to buy food parcels costing £1 or £3.

The supermarket’s new food parcels, or ‘Pick Up Packs’, can be bought and donated at checkouts before they are delivered to local foodbanks such as the one in Salford.

Iain Wight, manager of Salford Foodbank, said: “We have a tub at Morrisons Swinton and Morrisons in Eccles, and people donate food to us through those.

“But now Morrisons are doing these little goodie bags that seem to be working very well.

“It’s only very recently started, but we’ve had quite a few bags from them.”

Places like Salford Foodbank are always in need of food donations, but Morrisons’ scheme is particularly important now after a year of local families living in a pandemic.

Iain described: “Foodbanks exist whatever the crisis is… Covid just happens to have been a different sort of crisis for people.

“All the time we’re wanting to encourage people to donate food, so if supermarkets come up with innovative new ways of encouraging people to do that then we’re really thrilled about it.

“Morrisons have been very proactive about that and brought a fresh approach to food donation which is great – we really, really appreciate it.”

In addition to purchasing Morrisons’ ‘Pick Up Packs’, Salford Foodbank are asking Salfordians to consider donating food in alternative ways.

Iain said: “Other supermarkets have tubs as well – Tesco and Asda and Sainsbury’s – but the thing we’re really trying to major in is food gift boxes.

“So we’re encouraging people to have a food gift box in their own garden or in their own office or in their own school, and we’ll happily go and empty it from time to time if they just give us a ring.

“They can bring stuff direct to the foodbank too, but we’re trying to make lots more opportunities for people to find somewhere close to them so it’s very easy to donate food.”

Foods with long shelf lives are best for Salford Foodbank and the local families it serves.

More information can be found here.

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