The One City Fund – ‘Feeding Our City’ – raised a total of £27,159 for food banks and not for profit food suppliers that support people in food poverty across the city.
Some £20,000 of the total was donated by cross-party ward councillors, using available money from their ‘Ward Funds’ – an initiative that supports projects and activities that benefit the local community.
Following an initial Ward Funds donation of £10,000, it looked like the £20,000 target would not be met as the campaign was set to close yesterday (Monday). However, councillors from across the city stepped in at the 11th hour with a further £10,000 donation to ensure the target was reached.
Because the One City Fund campaign is based on an ‘all or nothing’ platform, funds are only released if the target is successfully met.
Thanks to the Ward Funds donation, Wolverhampton Voluntary Sector Council (WVSC) can now collect the pledges which will be used to support a number of organisations including the Adventist Food Bank, Elias Mattu Foundation, Excel/Bilston People, Good Shepherd, The Real Junk Food project and The Well Food Bank.
Leader of the Council, Councillor Ian Brookfield, said: “I’d like to thank everyone who donated to the Feeding Our City campaign.
“The organisations this fund supports provide a vital lifeline for people across our city, and every donation will help to ensure no-one gets left behind during the pandemic. It was important to all ward councillors to celebrate the spirit of generosity shown, which is why we have decided to make an additional contribution from this cross-party fund.
“Since lockdown began, demand at our city’s food banks has increased drastically. All ward councillors, irrespective of political interests, have been in complete support of this campaign. The food banks in our city do so much incredible work, and this is a cause very close to everyone’s heart.”
Councillor Wendy Thompson, Leader of the Opposition at the City of Wolverhampton Council, said: “This is an extremely really worthwhile cause that councillors from all parties are happy to support. It will benefit vulnerable families throughout the city and councillors were unanimous in wanting to contribute from our Ward Funds to support the campaign.”
The success of this campaign builds on the first phase of the crowd-funding initiative, a collaboration between the City of Wolverhampton Council, Wolverhampton Voluntary Sector Council and several organisations from across Wolverhampton which is aimed at supporting vulnerable groups in the City during the current coronavirus emergency. It brings the total raised to more than £50,000 for important organisations in the city which are providing vital help to those hit hard by the pandemic.
The latest information and guidance around coronavirus is available at GOV.UK and on the council’s own coronavirus pages at Coronavirus advice and information. There’s lots of advice on how people can protect themselves and their families from coronavirus from the NHS at Coronavirus (COVID-19).
The council’s Stay Safe, Be Kind campaign offers clear and simple advice about how people can help themselves, and how they can support others who may be particularly vulnerable at this time. For more information, please visit Stay Safe, Be Kind.
