Vehicle gift to food bank in memory of former mayor of Wolverhampton
A Wolverhampton food bank set up in memory of a much-loved former mayor who died in office has been given a new environmentally-friendly delivery vehicle after its own was stolen.
The Elias Mattu Foundation Food Bank – named after the former councillor who died in 2018 – has taken delivery of a new eSprinter van courtesy of the city’s Mercedes Benz specialists Midlands Truck and Van.
Councillor Mattu’s wife Asha – herself a city councillor – was present to see the vehicle delivered, along with colleagues and fellow members of the foundation.
As principle trustee of the charity, Councillor Asha Mattu said: "Elias loved this city and its people. We wanted to set up a lasting legacy and continue his work in the community.
"The foundation is now well established and has delivered food parcels to those in need during hard times. As trustees, we looked at how we could improve our service even further and decided that our help in the community should have a positive impact on the environment, so we took the decision to go electric for our food deliveries."
Fellow trustee member, Councillor Paul Birch, added: "This is a really significant addition to our service and I’m proud our work will be enhanced by going zero emissions for our food collections.
"I’m delighted we have been able to do this in partnership with Midlands Truck and Van. They are significant employers in our area and it’s brilliant to support local enterprise in the process of reducing our carbon footprint.
"This is a real win-win situation for the community, local business and also public health."
David Smith, sales executive for Midlands Truck and Van, said: “It’s been a pleasure to help this fantastic organisation in its work and I’m confident electric is the perfect fit for the food bank’s activities."
