TWO housebuilders have donated £3,000 to Swindon and Devizes food banks to support communities hit by Covid-19 pandemic

Swindon Food Collective and Devizes and District Foodbank have each experienced a surge in demand for their services due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Now Barratt Homes and David Wilson Homes have provided much-needed funds so volunteers can continue to support communities.

Devizes and District Foodbank reported a 50 per cent increase in demand during the spring, compared to the same period last year. The Swindon charity has already fed nearly 7,000 people this year, compared to just over 6,000 in the whole of 2019.

Swindon Food Collective manager Cher Smith said: “The grant from Barratt and David Wilson Homes has been really helpful at a particularly challenging time for us as we are feeding the vulnerable and isolated. One lady of 77 years rang for help recently as she had just eaten the last of her frozen vegetables and didn’t know how to get any more food and was afraid to go to the shops due to the virus. An 88 year old gentleman had been surviving on crackers for four days before he rang us for help.

“Families with children who would normally get food at school and single people moving into hostels or B&Bs all come to us for help.”

The donations are part of a £9,000 initiative by the developer to support local food banks.