Pupils’ huge donation to help those in need

Youngsters at South Hiendley Junior, Infant and Early Years School collected around 200kg of dried and tinned food to make up emergency parcels.

Their collection was handed over to Barnsley Foodbank Partnership, which is helping rising numbers of people needing help in the town.

Headteacher Lisa Corson said: “Children collected about 200 tins and packets of dried food. We had a special assembly to tell them where the food goes.”

Foodbank co-ordinator Alan Rouane visited the George Street school last Friday to give the assembly.

Mr Rouane said: “We want to say a big thankyou. They collected about 200kg of food.

“The food they donated will go into about 50 parcels we are going to give out this week to people in a crisis.”

Mr Rouane said rising numbers of families were coming for help from the foodbank, which distributes food from its central warehouse to eight collection points in Barnsley.

The homeless and people whose benefits have been stopped or who have had welfare payments delayed were also increasingly in need of help.

Others were struggling to find employment or trying to survive on low incomes or zero-hour contracts.

Mr Rouane said: “We see a real mix of people. It is increasing month on month. We are seeing more and more families coming through.”

People deemed to be facing a crisis are referred to the foodbank from around 60 organisations, including Barnsley Council and voluntary groups.