The Fork in the Road, a not-for-profit-restaurant in Middlesbrough, is to open its doors as a drop-off point for the town’s foodbank network.
The restaurant, founded by charity leader Andy Preston, will act as a central location for food donations to Middlesbrough Foodbank.
Based on Linthorpe Road, the restaurant, opened in December 2016, provides opportunities for those who struggle to secure employment, such as former prisoners and recovering addicts.
Andy Preston said: “We’re pleased and proud to support Middlesbrough Foodbank and act as a collection point for much needed donations. The people of Middlesbrough are incredibly generous and I know they will continue to help those who need a little extra help at difficult times.
“The Fork in the Road is based on charity – so when the opportunity arose to help the local foodbank I knew it was a great thing to do”
Members of the public will be able to drop off their donations at the restaurant seven days a week – whenever it is open.
The Fork in the Road’s fresh produce supplier, Country Valley Foods of Billingham, has volunteering to forward collections from the restaurant to Skippers Lane.
James Munro, Managing Director of Country Valley Foods said: “When we heard that Andy was going to use The Fork in the Road as drop off point for the foodbank, we didn’t hesitate to offer our support. We are always impressed with the worthy projects that the restaurant undertakes, and this is no exception, so we are glad to offer our help.”
Soroush Sadeghzadeh, Project Manager at Middlesbrough Foodbank said: “To have a drop off point that is open seven days a week in the town centre is a great opportunity for those who want to be involved in the work and support the local community.
“We’re so thankful to Andy Preston and everyone else involved in organising this, as well as all our supporters without whom we wouldn’t be able to provide emergency food for those in crisis. We’re hoping this would help us raise much-needed donations, particularly during the summer months when we see an increase in the number of clients. We really appreciate Country Valley Foods’ offer to deliver the food as it will allow us to focus our resources on serving the clients.”
Middlesbrough Foodbank is a project funded by local churches and community groups with the aim of stopping hunger in the local area. Many local agencies, charities, housing associations and other organisations are also invested in the charity’s work and issue vouchers for the bank to those in need.
A list of much-needed items is available here
https://middlesbrough.foodbank.org.uk/give-help/donate-food/