Chordiality is delighted to announce that its current adopted community organisation is the Bradford Metropolitan Food Bank.
The Food Bank was founded in 2004 and today is an essential aid to many people in the Bradford District who find themselves in a food poverty situation.
The Food Standards Agency defines food poverty as the inability of individuals and households to secure an adequate and nutritious diet. In 2021/22, according to the Department for Work and Pensions’ Households Below the Average Income Survey, 4.7 million people in the UK were in what is regarded as ‘food insecure households’. In 2019, the Bradford District itself was ranked fifth most income deprived and sixth most employment deprived local authority in England. The situation in the district has not improved since.
The Bradford Metropolitan Food Bank is a small registered charity run by volunteers which prides itself on being non-denominational. It operates through recognised, professional organisations who register with the charity and who have daily contact with vulnerable individuals and families. Organisations that look to the Food Bank include schools, mental health services, district nurses, probation workers, faith leaders of all denominations and housing association workers who support people with their tenancies.
Some organisations seek help from the Food Bank infrequently, others collect significant numbers of food bags every week. Either way, demand is high.
£1,000 donation
Chordiality announced its adopted charity after Christmas. The Bradford Metropolitan Food Bank was chosen by the choir members at Chordiality’s annual general meeting held in October.
At the end of January, the choir made a donation of £1,000 to its new chosen charity and this was accepted on behalf of the Food Bank by the charity’s secretary, Helen Lynskey.
Helen thanked the choir both for choosing the Food Bank as its adopted charity and for the £1,000 donation.
“The donation is gratefully received,” says Helen. “Monetary donations are important to us because they help us to plan ahead and to know where we are. They enable us to buy in bulk and to also achieve better prices from suppliers.”