More than £30,000 has been donated to the Mayor’s Hope Fund – a new charity established by Mayor Anderson for poverty relief – for its Foodbank appeal in its first month.
Figures show that thousands of people have given money in store at Tesco’s 28 supermarkets in the city using a special donate at till scheme.
Cash has also been raised through people running the Liverpool Santa Dash, raffles, a donation from the Mayor and via text and a Just Giving page.
Mayor Joe Anderson said: “It’s great so many people have helped already to raise money for the Hope Fund and its Foodbank Appeal.
“These are tough times for people due to the austerity measures and demand for our foodbanks is rising.
“We all wish there wasn’t a need and it is embarrassing for us as a society that, as we start 2014, there are people who need foodbanks and the support they give in order to feed themselves.
“Every penny raised will enable foodbanks to invest in their infrastructure to meet the increasing need for their services and support the work of their volunteers who work so hard.”
There are three main foodbank centres in Liverpool – in the north, south and centre of the city. They fed almost 7,000 people from April to August 2013 – an 88 percent rise on the same period the previous year.
The Mayor’s Hope Fund will identify specific projects to implement, enhance and grow the level of service that that each foodbank can provide. The money will be used to create storage space and distribution centres, recruit and train volunteer and collect and deliver food.
People can text donations to the Hope Fund of £1, £2, £3, £4, £5 or £10. Text LMHF14 followed by the amount to 70070. So, to donate £1, text LMHF14 £1 to 70070.
The online donation page can be found at http://www.justgiving.com/mayorshopefund
For more information about The Mayor’s Hope Fund, visit http://themayorshopefund.org.uk
The Mayor’s Hope Fund is a registered charity in England and Wales (1153630).
