Supporting Pontefract Foodbank: A Joint Donation from Local Contractors
Supporting Pontefract Foodbank: A Joint Donation from Local Contractors
Food banks in the UK aren't a temporary fix for a temporary problem. The Trussell Trust , which supports a national network of over 1,300 food banks, distributed more than 3 million emergency food parcels in 2023/24 — a record figure, and nearly double what it was five years earlier. Pontefract is part of that network, and the demand on its shelves is consistent.
When the opportunity came up to make a joint donation through the Wentbridge project, Anjni, Sarah, Ellen, and Hazel coordinated the effort across three companies: Octavius Infrastructure , National Highways , and Civcon Civil Engineering. Between them, the companies contributed food items worth around £200, which were handed over to Brenda Lee at the Pontefract foodbank on behalf of the group.
What £200 of food actually means
It's worth being specific about this, because the figure can feel abstract. The Trussell Trust estimates the average cost of a three-day emergency food parcel at around £3 to £5 in wholesale terms. At that rate, a £200 donation covers somewhere between 40 and 65 parcels — each one going to a family that's been referred by a doctor, social worker, or support worker because they've run out of options.
Pontefract and the wider Wakefield district have seen sustained pressure on foodbank referrals, reflecting trends across post-industrial West Yorkshire. The need isn't seasonal, though winter months are consistently the hardest.
How it came together
Multi-contractor project sites are an underused vehicle for this kind of initiative. The companies involved are already in contact, already coordinating on procurement and logistics — adding a food collection to that infrastructure takes relatively little effort. The credit here belongs to the four people who actually drove it: Anjni, Sarah, Ellen, and Hazel, who organised the collection and made sure it happened.
Brenda Lee received the donations on behalf of the foodbank. The Trussell Trust follows up contributions like this with personalised thank you cards to each donor — a small gesture, but one that tends to make the next collection easier to organise.
We'll be looking for the next opportunity to do something similar.
