Staff from the Huddersfield branch of Yorkshire Building Society lent a helping hand to a local foodbank and charity that helps families in financial crisis.
The team of 14 colleagues helped at The Welcome Centre Food Bank in Huddersfield town centre, assisting with jobs such as making up food parcels, unloading and sorting donations.
Colleagues volunteered in pairs over the course of a few months, giving over 70 hours of volunteering time in total.
For over 20 years The Welcome Centre has helped families and individuals in crisis with food, toiletries and other essentials through its food bank. The charity also offers practical support, guidance and advice to anyone in the community who needs help.
Jessica Le-Billon, customer consultant at Huddersfield’s New Street branch of Yorkshire Building Society, said: “I have volunteered with The Welcome Centre for 10 years and it is always a pleasure and such a worthwhile cause.
“I’m so happy to have included my team members in this opportunity and they all loved spending time at the warehouse. Hopefully, this will be ongoing now and in the future.”
Jess Johnstone, from The Welcome Centre, said: “Over the last few months pairs of volunteers from the branch have been coming to spend the day with us, to help us to make up food packs, sort and collect donations.
“The volunteers have been great to have around and have all gone above and beyond to help out in the warehouse, with a can-do attitude!
“I think it’s really important for people to understand what we do and how we work here at The Welcome Centre, in order to remove the stigma of food banks.
“We want to provide a greater understanding of the support we provide as well as understanding the plethora of reasons that our clients might need support. Thanks to all the lovely volunteers who have given their time to support us.”
Jessica Le-Billon, Joanne Chinnery, Gail Maclean, Natalie Smithson, Katie Ealse, Jan Starkey, Georgia Knight, Mike Barnes, Alison Neill, Tia Alexis, Tilly Douglas, Gemma Barclay, Ellie Grundy and Jen Szafranska all gave their time as part of Yorkshire Building Society’s award-winning corporate volunteering scheme, which allocates each employee 31 hours paid leave every year to carry out volunteering in local communities.
For more information about The Welcome Centre, Huddersfield, please visit www.thewelcomecentre.org
