Police donate £500 to support Bexhill foodbank volunteers

As lockdown started at the end of March, the Bexhill foodbank, in Station Road, Bexhill, put out a plea for donations due to the increasingly urgent requests for help among members of the community.

Lynn Langlands, independent councillor for Bexhill Kewhurst, spotted the request for help and, in response, took a donation to the Bexhill foodbank.

She said: “Seeing people queueing for one of the most basic requirements of life is heart wrenching in the 21st Century, and it motivated me as a representative of my community to try and do something about it.

“I was aware that the majority of the community were self-isolating and therefore food donations would be difficult to come by, as many families were getting their groceries online, or queueing for some time at supermarkets to get limited items for themselves.

“I put out a Facebook plea for people to order just a little bit extra with their weekly shop for the Foodbank, and pop it on their doorsteps for me to collect. The Bexhill Community Bus having stopped its service, offered me support to collect the donations.”

Councillor Langlands said the response to the plea was ‘overwhelming’. Some residents became regular donators, she said, and some have been the collection point for their local community, offering several bags each week.

A scheme called ‘As and when you can’ has also provided at least a third of a bus load, which councillor Langlands said has been ‘much appreciated’.

Drivers from the bus service and their partners continue to collect food donations every Tuesday afternoon. Several tonnes of food have been collected to date, and fresh fruit and vegetables have also been included for distribution.

Sussex Police Detective Constable David Gibbs, who lives in Bexhill, recognised that this was at a cost to the ‘Yellow Bus’ service.

As a result, he nominated them for a donation of £500 from Sussex Police, to assist with fuel and running cost for collections.

Councillor Langlands added: “This has proved to be a great support to the initiative, and will help continue the service for as long as we are able.

“The need for our residents, organisations, public services, businesses and voluntary groups to continue caring for each other in this philanthropic way will be the only way we get through the difficult times ahead.

“A huge thank you to Sussex Police and everyone involved.

“If you want to donate on a Tuesday afternoon please contact [email protected].”