Dalton Park teams up with food bank to support Wearsiders in need during the cost of living crisis

Dalton Park has teamed up with County Durham and Sunderland Food Bank to help people on Wearside during the cost of living crisis.

The shopping outlet will act as a collection point and future fundraising events will be used to generate money for what is now the retail outlet’s chosen charity.

Richard Kaye, Centre Manager at Dalton Park, said: “We are absolutely delighted to be supporting County Durham and Sunderland Food Bank as the work it does in the community is invaluable. 

“As the cost of living crisis continues to bite, we wanted to partner with a local organisation that is directly helping those in need.

 “Its food banks feed thousands of people every single month and the advice services are a vital part of its overall mission to assist people in crisis.

“The support provided by Dalton Park is a collective effort with many of our stores and guests getting involved in our fundraising.” 

The charity has a network of 36 food bank distribution centres across County Durham and Sunderland and between April 1 2022 and March 31, 2023, helped to feed 36,143 people in food crisis on Wearside.

Glenn Jones, Chairman of Trustees at County Durham and Sunderland Foodbank, said: “We are thrilled to have been chosen as Dalton Park’s official charity partner for 2023.

“Since we started in Durham in late 2011, The County Durham and Sunderland Food Bank has grown rapidly both with its coverage of these areas and numbers fed.

“In November 2017, an additional need was identified to expand our services to support families in the Sunderland area.”

In addition to the provision of emergency food supplies, the charity also provides advice and support to people dealing with debt and more recently the energy crisis.

Glenn added: “Although food in a crisis is important, people who come to food banks often have many other issues impacting their lives and we wanted to see appropriate support made available.

“With this in mind, we also now provide debt and money advice and other support services to our food bank distribution points including an energy voucher scheme pioneered by us in Durham and now rolled out nationally.

“The impact of the County Durham and Sunderland Food Bank is not just limited to those who receive food. It also has mobilised a wonderful group of volunteers and thousands of amazingly generous donors, without whom, none of what we do could be possible.

“Working with Dalton Park is a super opportunity for us as it gives us a chance to get all our messages in front of a lot of people and will hopefully generate additional donations and see more volunteers come forward.

“We look forward to an exciting year ahead.”

Money raised by Dalton Park will be split between the charity’s food provision and its advice services.