Funding boost for foodbank after excelling in community
The work of a Black Country church foodbank has been rewarded with a funding boost from a national power distributor.
Excel Church in Bilston has been a leader in the community since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, making more than a hundred deliveries each week at the peak of the pandemic to people in need.
This has included sending out specialised food parcels based on religious, dietary or cultural needs, with more than 9,300 having gone out from the church, and more than 60 people delivering and sorting parcels.
The efforts of the church has been acknowledged by Wolverhampton South East MP Pat McFadden, who nominated the church to receive £1,500 from Western Power Distribution’s Community Matters Fund.
He said: “Western Power Distribution have supported a number of projects like this around the country and I’ve been very praising of what Excel has been doing in recent months.
“They’ve done a fantastic job supporting the people of Bilston in such a difficult period and the donation will go a long way to meeting needs in the area.”
John Kendrick, Black Country distribution manager for Western Power Distribution, visited the church to meet Excel Foodbank Coordinator John Raj, who has been a leading figure during the pandemic.
He said: “When you meet someone like John, you really get a sense of the hard work he and other people at the foodbank put in.
“You can see a lot of people coming in and out of here and see the stock they have, so you know they really are making a difference.
“Western Power Distribution are happy to help the communities we serve and the community work that Excel does fits our ethos perfectly.”
Excel Church will use the funding to continue building the foodbank and help the church look for new premises for it to be based.
