Liam Payne has joined forces with national charity The Trussell Trust to support food banks in the Midlands.
The singer’s support will help over 100 food bank centres in Birmingham, Stoke-on-Trent, Coventry, Sheffield, Nottingham and Bristol over the next three months, providing 360,000 meals as the need for food banks is set to increase as a result of the current COVID-19 pandemic.
Following Liam’s donation, The Trussell Trust will be able to launch a crisis fund to help food bank centres meet the changing needs of their community amidst the coronavirus outbreak. This includes recruiting additional staff, hiring delivery vehicles or extra space, or, if necessary and available, buying food.
Speaking about his involvement with the charity, Liam said: “It’s not right that anyone in our country is unable to afford food. Food banks do incredible work to help the people most in need of support. It’s vital that we get support to those people right now, as this crisis unfolds. The Trussell Trust is working with food banks across the country to ensure emergency help is there for people who don’t have money for the basics.
“But I’m also donating because of the work they do to work towards a future where no one needs a food bank – we can’t end the conversation with getting emergency food to people – as vital as that is. When we’re out the other side of this, we need to look at why there are people in our country who don’t have enough money for food. I want to play my part in finding a solution to ensure people have enough money to buy their own food – and end the need for food banks.”
Emma Revie, chief executive of the Trussell Trust added, “We are so grateful to Liam Payne for this generous donation. This will help us continue to support our network of food banks to provide the best possible emergency help to people referred at an uncertain time. We’re working with food banks across the country to make big changes to the way food banks work, so we can get emergency food to people in the safest way possible. This isn’t easy. Our main priority is the safety of everyone at a food bank, and having support like this helps us ensure that emergency support can continue to be available in the safest possible way.
“But ultimately, no one should need to use a food bank. Everyone should be able to afford their own food. Liam’s support will help people in the Midlands and other key cities get the emergency support they need today, while working towards a future where people have enough money for the essentials in life.”
Liam’s donation marks the beginning of a long term partnerships with The Trussell Trust, where he will use his platform to continue reaching new audiences and raise awareness.
The Trussell Trust is a charity which works with a network of over 1200 food bank centres across the UK. Last year alone, food banks in The Trussell Trust network provided 1.6m emergency food parcels to people in crisis, with more than half a million of these going to children.
For more information about The Trussell Trust or to donate, check out their website.