As part of the airport’s Feed a Family challenge, staff at Manchester Airport in the UK have collected crates of food, toiletries and other essentials to donate to lower-income families in neighboring communities during the school summer holidays.
The Feed a Family scheme, spearheaded by the Airport Community Network, was open to airport staff and the staff of other employers based on the site, such as airlines, retailers and construction firms. A variety of goods were donated, including pasta, rice and tinned fruit and vegetables; household necessities such as toilet roll and washing-up liquid; and toiletries such as shampoo, toothpaste and soap – as well as sweets, chocolates and toys. The donations will go to the Message Community Grocery in Sharston and The Welcome cafe in Shaw Heath, Knutsford. Colleagues from partner organizations across the Airport Community Network – including Cavu, Mace, NATS, Holiday Inn Express, Double Tree by Hilton and MediaFour – also provided items for the collection.
Sam Hawthorne, enterprise director at The Message Trust, said, “We are grateful to the Airport Community Network for this donation. The Message Community Grocery is open for the people of Manchester, helping to keep families fed and give members access to support too. This is particularly important over the school summer holiday period when children may not have access to the school meals they usually rely on during term time.”
Chris Woodroofe, managing director of Manchester Airport, said, “We are delighted with the terrific response this appeal received from colleagues across the airport community. With more than one in four children now living in poverty, the school summer holidays can be quite a daunting time for lower-income families, many of whom rely on school meal provision during term time. Manchester Airport and its partners are committed to supporting our neighboring communities and this appeal is one of the many ways in which we are putting that commitment into action.”
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