A Burry Port store manager from community retailer, Co-op is shining a light on the 60 local volunteers who are helping the busy team to deliver food and essentials to those that are most in need during this unprecedented time.
Volunteers from the local rugby club, Burry Port RFC and the local community have been helping Nathan Evans and his team at the Co-op on Station Road to make hundreds of trips to vulnerable customers in the region to deliver the food and essentials they need.
Colleagues at the store initially began making the trips to customers themselves but knew they needed help to reach more people in the community. The team set up a community volunteer board in store to connect vulnerable customers with willing volunteers from the local area. Along with the enlisted help of volunteers from the local rugby club, the store can now reach the goal of helping 100 houses a week.
Nathan Evans, store manager at Co-op, said: “We wanted to find a way to help our vulnerable customers to get the things they need at this unprecedented time. These shoppers support the store all year round so this is our way to thank them. We couldn’t do it without the support of the community volunteers, and with their help we can deliver more food and essentials to those that need it the most. The volunteers and my team are local heroes and I couldn’t thank them enough.”
The Co-op store team have not stopped there though and have been performing little acts of kindness to lift the spirits of other frontline key workers from across the region. From working with Co-op Funeralcare to donate bottled water to staff at Prince Philip Hospital, donating treats to staff at the local Primary school to dropping off Easter eggs to children at Burry Port Primary School on Good Friday. The store even teamed up with local businesses, Jenkins Bakery & Caffi Lolfa to make 70 sandwiches for the residents at the Plas Y Mor residential home to bring a little happiness to those not able to see loved ones.
Jo Whitfield, Co-op Food CEO said: “Every day we are seeing outstanding acts of kindness as communities pull together to support those who are struggling, and our amazing Co-op members and customers tell us they want to help to support their communities and do right by those in greatest need.”
In partnership with FareShare, Co-op has created a new charity TV ad which is a tribute to the local heroes who are playing their part in feeding the nation during the Coronavirus crisis. The advert highlights the new scheme which helps and encourages customers to support food banks by either donating in-store or via a text to a dedicated number, both of which will boost the £1.5million of food Co-op has already pledged to FareShare.
Anyone can be a local hero by offering support to FareShare and making a donation today. Donate online, from your mobile by simply texting MEALS to 70490 to give £10 or at the till in store when you’re shopping for your essentials to donate either 50p, £1, £2 or £5 to FareShare – the UK’s largest hunger fighting charity supporting over 11,000 charities and community groups.
Jo adds: “I’m delighted we can make it easy for them to donate what they can to help FareShare and its very own band of local heroes. If we all co-operate together, we can make a huge difference.”
Jo adds: “I’m delighted we can make it easy for them to donate what they can to help FareShare and its very own band of local heroes. If we all co-operate together, we can make a huge difference.”
Co-op has also allowing its 4.6 million members to donate their unspent member rewards to a Coronavirus Fund which will be supporting food banks, a funeral bereavement fund established for those in financial hardship and local causes. Co-op Members receive a 5 per cent reward every time they buy an own-brand product or service which is held in an online wallet which can be redeemed on future purchases and now can be donated instead to Co-op Members’ Coronavirus Fund.
Add Comment