JCB’s ‘Food for our Communities’ initiative extends to Biddulph

Help is on the menu for vulnerable residents of a Staffordshire town – thanks to JCB’s ‘Food for our Communities’ initiative.

The project has so far served up more than 10,000 meals and 2,500 sandwiches to the homeless and disadvantaged families and individuals across the region. Now the initiative has been expanded to provide hundreds of sandwiches for Biddulph Youth and Community Zone for inclusion in food parcels distributed by its team of 15 volunteers to local families in need.

Anthony Capostagno, Youth and Community Centre Manager said:

“It’s absolutely amazing to get this support from JCB. Biddulph is only a small town and JCB’s support really does enable us to help more people in the community.”

Since the launch of the JCB scheme – the idea of Carole Bamford, wife of company Chairman Lord Bamford – catering staff at the World HQ in Rocester have been preparing meals and sandwiches for distribution to communities in Stoke-on-Trent, Rocester and Uttoxeter during the Coronavirus crisis.

JCB’s Dave Parry is helping to co-ordinate JCB’s efforts. He said: “It is fantastic for the whole team to be involved in a project like this knowing that it is directly helping so many people in need in our local communities.”

JCB has also donated vital PPE to front line workers and JCB and its employees have volunteered to produce facemasks for the NHS. Inspired by these efforts, JCB-sponsored athletes, slalom canoeist Adam Burgess and triple jumper Ben Williams, took on a marathon weight lifting challenge and have so far raised more than £2,400 for the Royal Stoke Hospital.

JCB’s kitchens in Staffordshire are being supported with the provision of food from organic farms at Daylesford in Gloucestershire. Daylesford – founded by Carole Bamford – has supplied organic beef mince to the project, with staff working seven days a week to support the food aid initiative.