Remembrance Donation For Much-Loved Foodie Professional

When Nesta Merrells passed away, her family discovered a tube of twenty pence pieces which she had been collecting throughout Lent, for an annual fundraiser along with the rest of the congregation of Walkington Methodist Church.

This year the congregation took up the East Yorkshire foodbank challenge of saving forty pence for forty days. Nesta’s, however, was only recently found in her bedside table.

Emma Hoban is a member of the congregation at Walkington Methodist Church. She says:

“In the past we have saved twenty pence pieces in Smartie tubes, eating the chocolate at the beginning of Lent and then fill the empty tube with coins throughout the forty days to collect for a different charity each year.”

“As food had been a central part of Nesta’s life, working as a domestic science teacher and catering for numerous events, we thought it fitting that the donations in her memory should support the work of the East Riding foodbank, the two ideas fitting together nicely. We were delighted to collect over two thousand pounds.”

Foodbank Say People Feel Embarrassed To Ask For Help

Annemarie Foster, Chair of the East Yorkshire foodbank says:

“We have a compassionate community who regularly donates much-needed food to us and we are eternally grateful. As such we are very touched that Nesta Merrells’ family thought of us to remember her. This is a fantastic amount of funds which will cover a whole month of our operating costs.”

“The fact is, food poverty is getting worse in East Yorkshire. In 2018-2019 we fed 1,945 adults and 1,311 children, a total of 3,256 which equates to 29,304 meals.”

“One of the issues we see is people leave accessing our charity longer, perhaps because they feel embarrassed about asking for help with food. Minimum wage and zero hours contracts are having a negative impact on people who would normally be self-sufficient, now they are finding times are tough.”

“Some people are relying on us for longer due to delays in receiving benefits, however, we work closely with other agencies who refer clients to us to ensure they are getting help in all areas of their lives so they don’t become dependent, or reliant on the Foodbank long-term.”

The East Yorkshire foodbank is seeking food donations and especially welcomes good quality tinned meats, tinned fruit and tomatoes, custard and rice pudding.