Black Country food bank continues work helping schools to help families
The continued caring work by a Black Country church is helping more than 100 families to provide meals for their children.
Excel Church in Bilston has worked during the coronavirus pandemic to help five schools to support families of pupils through its food bank.
It has worked closely with pastoral managers at Bilston Church of England Primary School, Lanesfield Primary School, Villiers Primary School, Field View Primary School and Oxdale Primary School to provide food parcels and other items.
Food bank coordinator John Raj said the work to help the schools had begun at the start of the pandemic last year.
He said: "We got in touch with the schools when the pandemic started and said we would continue the support we had been giving them beforehand.
"We've continued to help them with food parcels, toiletries and specific items that the families have needed, but not been able to acquire."
Mr Raj said the food bank had helped as many as 20 families at each school, with more than 100 being helped at the height of the pandemic.
Generosity
Hayley Holder, teaching assistant at Lanesfield School, said the school had reached out to parents about the food bank and said everyone was overwhelmed by the level of generosity by Excel Church and the public.
She said: "They really do appreciate it all and were saying to me that without this, they would be struggling to feed their children three times a day because of no free school meals.
"One of our families is a mixed race family on a low income and the parcel they have is catered to their needs, with some food from the necessary background in there.
"It's really helped families and shown the kindness of people out there."
Mr Raj said the church wanted to support more families during half term and said that if anyone needs help, they can contact them via phone or email or by coming to the church.
To find out more, call 01902 402273 or email foodbank@excelchurch.org.uk.
