Wendover Youth Centre donate 683kg of food to the Chiltern Foodbank

Rob Butler MP and Chairman of parish council Tom WalshRob Butler MP and Chairman of parish council Tom Walsh
Rob Butler MP and Chairman of parish council Tom Walsh | jpimedia
Wendover Youth Centre have donated a huge amount of food to Wendover Foodbank.

Last week (25th-31st May) Wendover youth centre in partnership with Wendover parish council and Churches Together in Wendover ran a food donation week for the Wendover Foodbank which is associated with Chiltern Foodbank.

This included the whole community donating food and a team of volunteers helping collect and pack the food.

Over the week 683kg of food was donated, which is enough to feed 100 people for 3 days through the foodbank system.

The food packing group pose for a photoThe food packing group pose for a photo
The food packing group pose for a photo | jpimedia

Local MP Rob Butler also supported the week by coming down to the youth centre to help the volunteers with the packing of the food.

Pete Swinford, Lead Youth Worker at the Wendover Youth Centre said: "It's been really humbling to see the community come together in the way they have.

"It's been a crazy week and so busy, we've all had so much to do but we have pulled together and everyone is thrilled with how much food we've collected."

Pete said that the Youth Centre has been closed but they have been trying to do activities online to keep the group together.

The members have also been writing pen pal letters to older people who are isolated by the Coronavirus.

At the beginning of the lockdown people at the Youth Centre made food parcels for the elderly and vulnerable who were shielding.

After listening to the community, they decided to call the foodbank to see if there was anything they could do to help.

The centre reached out to the foodbank, local churches and the parish council to created a co-ordinated effort to help feed the vulnerable.

Pete said he wanted to thank MP Rob Butler for coming down, and the amazing people in the Wendover community.

"It's been a huge team effort, and everyone should be very proud.

"The foodbank were absolutely made up. We didn't envisage that people would be so kind."

The food will now be distributed to people in need in the local area.