ORGANISERS of two Dorset food banks have praised care home residents and staff for doing their bit to help families in need.
It comes after Colten Care’s Castle View in Poundbury chose the Dorchester Foodbank and Food Share, based at Dorchester Community Church, as its main charities to support this year.
Among the latest initiatives, residents sold handmade greeting cards and second-hand books and held raffles.
These activities raised more than £150 which was used to buy dozens of items such as tinned fruit and vegetables, jars of cooking sauce, packets of pasta and rice, and cartons of juice, all requested by the food banks.
The items, laid out on a large table, were donated to Tracy Hughes of Dorchester Foodbank and Liz Meech of Food Share when the pair came to give a talk to residents about their work.
“We were blown away by the size of the donation and are so grateful for the support,” said Tracy. “It was heartening to know the Castle View residents are on board with what we are doing.”
Tracy’s comments were echoed by Liz, who added: “It was absolutely humbling to see the spread on the table. It is a privilege to develop our relationship with Castle View. Community support is absolutely key to what we do. It means the world to us.”
Forthcoming fundraising events open to the community include involvement in the Poundbury Open Gardens weekend on June 6 and 7 and the Castle View summer fete on July 26.