The University of Salford’s catering provider, Salfood, has donated a substantial amount of food and stock to homelessness charity Emmaus Salford.
The donation to Emmaus Salford was made following the closure of all Salfood’s outlets as a result of coronavirus measures. It was important that the food was not wasted and a former beneficiary of Emmaus Salford who now works at Salfood, suggested that the items be donated to the Pendleton based charity.
Linda Sidebotham, Contract Director for Salfood (a partnership between Chartwells and the University of Salford), said: “I am so pleased that Chartwells, could support Emmaus Salford. As Government decisions changed by the day, the University had to close the campus suddenly. We operate 16 food and cafe outlets for over 18,000 students so we obviously had lots of surplus food. We were delighted that Emmaus was able to use the stock and pass it on to people who need it.”
Chartwells works with over 2,300 education units including primary schools, secondary schools, academy schools, independent schools, colleges and universities. Salfood provides a range of outlets, student stores and hospitality services for the University of Salford. The food items donated to Emmaus Salford will be used by the charity, by Lucie’s Pantry social supermarket, and distributed to other homelessness charities in the area.
Emmaus Salford supports 22 formerly homeless people by providing them with a stable home, meaningful work and support for as long as they need it. The charity operates three social enterprises across Salford, selling donated and upcycled furniture, household goods, electrical items, clothes and vintage wares.
Rachel Richardson, Community Director at Emmaus Salford, said: “We were totally blown away by the large donation of food from the team at Salfood. At this very difficult time it’s heartening to see the generosity of people and organisations across Salford.
“These items from Salfood will be put to good use in our Emmaus Salford community kitchen, shared between members of Lucie’s Pantry and support other local organisations helping people who are homeless.”
Unfortunately, due to coronavirus, all of Emmaus Salford’s charity stores are temporarily closed, significantly reducing the charity’s income. Emmaus will continue to support its community of formerly homeless residents but is appealing for financial donations to help during the coronavirus crisis.
