Employers large and small across Suffolk, as well as schools, groups and individual donors have been committing to each raise or donate £2,000 for the FIND 50 £100,000 lifeline appeal and over £34,000 has been raised so far.
The appeal is all about helping to fund a new home for the charity which will be large enough to accommodate the growing need for the foodbank and other services it provides. The location of FIND’s new headquarters has been identified and planning permission was granted by Ipswich Borough Council at the beginning of 2018.
An army of generous building firms and specialist consultants, including Castons, Barnes Construction, MLM Group, JSH Consulting and Hooper Architects, have already been giving their services at cost or free of charge to plan what needs to be done to make the building fit for purpose, and they are ready to start work as soon as the lease agreement has been signed by Ipswich Borough Council.
Maureen Reynel MBE, founder and Chair of FIND, says: “I’m hoping that more individual fundraisers, companies and schools will feel inspired to fundraise for the FIND 50 campaign and support FIND’s services, so we can continue to fulfil the growing need for food and basic household living items where families and individuals have none.”
Employers and groups which are already part of FIND 50 include Adsar, Archant, Attwells, Barker Gotelee, BBC Radio Suffolk, Colchester Road Baptist Church, East of England Co-op, East Ipswich Rotary Club, EADT, Ellisons, Ipswich Building Society, Ipswich Round Table, Ipswich School, Kadec, Kesgrave High School, Kingsfleet Wealth, Milsoms, PLC Business, Sackers Recycling, Sainsburys, Suffolk Community Foundation, Survey Solutions, Town 102, University of Suffolk, and Waitrose.
Director of Genesis PR, Penny Arbuthnot, who completed two half marathons in September in aid of FIND 50, says: “It’s tremendous that over £34,000 of the £100,000 target has been raised so far and that the FIND 50 campaign has built such great momentum. In recent weeks Ipswich School and the Friends of Ipswich School have raised nearly £5,000 and Ipswich Building Society over £2,000. A donation of £4,000 has also been made by the family of Peter Grimer, a FIND volunteer who died recently aged 90.”
Penny added: “The pro bono work carried out by Genesis to support the FIND 50 campaign since the launch has included a new website, film, PR and a newsletter, as well as our own fundraising. We hope that this time in 2019 FIND will be settled in its new home in Ipswich.”
For information about FIND and the FIND 50 appeal, which is inviting individuals, local companies and schools to each raise £2,000, see here.
Donations of non-perishable food items and toiletries can be made to any local participating East of England Co-Op, Waitrose at Futura Park, and Sainsbury’s at Warren Heath.