Brick's summer food plea

M&S Wigan Store Manager Jacqui Lancaster presents the cheque to The Bricks Operations Service Manager Louise Green, with shop staff: Emma deLuce, Chelsea McKay, Barry Fletcher, Sandra Pendlebury, Andy Atherton, Kayleigh Hock, Joe Bish, Natalie Winstanley, Lynn Entwistle, Sue Morrison and The Bricks Food Bank Manager Daniel Pollard

The Brick says that demand for its services always goes up in the summer, often leading to empty shelves at its food bank.

It today urged folk to make special effort over the coming weeks and months to make food donations.

That said the charity was given a welcome boost the other day by Wigan’s Marks and Spencer store.

Behind the scenes at the busy Standishgate outlet, staff have been organising events all aimed at supporting The Brick. They collected, held bring and buy sales and even had musicians in store playing for the shoppers and collecting for the cause.

And at the end of it all they raised a mammoth £1,265 which will help the charity to help people in need across the borough.

Wigan store manager Jacqui Lancaster, explains: “Each year we ask all our members of staff to nominate a local worthy cause for us to support as a whole store. The different suggestions are compiled into a shortlist and then staff are asked to vote on which one we will support. Last year, one of the suggestions was The Brick and we were delighted when it became the store’s chosen charity.”

Each week the charity sees nearly 200 people who need help with issues such as financial hardship, fuel poverty, homelessness and domestic violence. It speaks to more than twice this number over the phone, serves 50 hot lunches and provides training opportunities for more than 30 people.

Traditionally The Brick has delivered up to 150 food parcels to people in need in Wigan Borough each week. However, the charity has seen the number of items it is distributing each week rise sharply in recent months putting even more strain on scarce resources.