Families in Leeds Receive Seven Tonnes of Food from Co-op
On Tuesday 5 December, a lorry loaded with six and a half pallets of food made its way to Co-op Academy Leeds, filled with cupboard essentials to support families in the lead up to Christmas. With the support of volunteers from across Co-op, and Co-op Academies Trust, this food will be distributed to six academies in Leeds.
Dr Chris Tomlinson, CEO of Co-op Academies Trust, said:
“In October we organised a visit to our Leeds academies from key members of our sponsor, the Co-op. This visit made clear that families at our schools need support at this difficult time. Our communities are facing really tough challenges, particularly with the cost of living crisis, and as a Trust that is supported by a community-focussed food retailer, it is our responsibility to support these families in any way that we can.
The Co-op Exec team have been unbelievably supportive, generous and innovative in coordinating such an incredible effort which will help our families over the festive period. A huge thank you to all of the volunteers and those that worked so hard to make this possible.”
Funds raised by Co-op members, alongside support from Nisa’s network, have helped make this project happen.
Russell Gill, Head of Community Delivery at Co-op, said:
“As a co-operative, we recognise our responsibility to make a genuine difference and believe that everybody should have access to good food. It’s been great to come together with Nisa to make this happen and provide extra support to families at our academies in Leeds.”
Peter Batt, MD of Nisa Retail, said:
“We are proud to be able to support this vital initiative by using our wholesale distribution model and co-operate with our other businesses to make this happen at such a challenging time for so many families.”
Founded in 2010, Co-op Academies Trust has 32 academies across the North of England, the majority of which are considered Good or Outstanding by Ofsted. The Trust is founded on Co-operative principles, believing that by creating great schools, they support communities. The Trust’s sponsor is the Co-op Group, who support the Trust as part of their commitment to community development. Co-op Academies serve some of the most deprived areas of the North.
This project, known as the Food Delivery Project, is the first of its kind to take place through this collaboration between Co-op Academies Trust, Nisa and Co-op Food.