Bronco is collecting for Ripon Foodbank this festive season

Taking time out to help others is at the heart of what we do as part of our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) at Bronco. In the UK one in five people live in poverty, and two-thirds of children in poverty live in a working family. Foodbanks are a vital resource for these people and for families and with Christmas coming up the demand for help from those in need the most increases.

During November all staff at Bronco will be buying a little extra when they do their supermarket shopping, collecting various tinned food items, pasta, rice and cereal as well as any essential non-perishable items which will all be donated to the Ripon Foodbank. We are also asking family, friends and local businesses to join in this cause.

Foodbanks were set up to help people who have hit hard times. Whether that’s redundancy, an unexpectedly large bill or they are on a low income. Food banks make a huge difference for those struggling to afford essential grocery items and can make the difference to someone’s life, by preventing health problems, family breakdown, mental health issues and even crime.

When budgets are stretched difficult decisions, have to be made, and one of the first things to be cut is food, with families choosing cheaper and somewhat poorer quality foods to stretch their budgets. These foods tend to be ones which use the least resources to cook, with many people in food poverty also facing fuel poverty. Families are making the decision to buy cheaper foods and adults reducing their own food consumption to ensure their children eat enough.

Additionally, in the UK there are ‘Food Deserts’, areas that have little or no access to good quality fresh food, and over a million low-income families live in these areas. This means their food choices are severely reduced, and for many of these people without their own transport and poor public transport, they are unable to travel to source quality products which can often be cheaper in areas outside the food deserts.

It’s easy to forget those in need at this time of year, families busy themselves preparing for the festive season, so this year we encourage you just to buy a little bit extra when your shopping and donate items to your local foodbank.