Farleys Foundation grants support local causes on the coronavirus frontline

The Farleys Foundation has thrown its support behind a number of local causes who are providing vital services and supplies for vulnerable people during the coronavirus outbreak.

The charity, set up by North West law firm Farleys Solicitors, has made grants of £1,000 each to assist five foodbanks and charities in Lancashire and Greater Manchester.

The grants have been made to Preston-based Cash for Kids, Maundy Relief in Accrington, Mustard Tree which has locations in Manchester and Salford, Blackburn Food Bank, and Burnley Together, after each cause ran appeals for help following an increase in demand for their services during the COVID-19 outbreak and subsequent lockdown.

Cash for Kids

Farleys has a long-standing connection with Cash for Kids and have raised funds for the charity, which supports disabled and disadvantaged children in Lancashire, for more than a decade. In response to the impact of coronavirus, Cash for Kids launched a fundraising appeal to build a fund from which grants will be given to families with children to cover basics such as food and heating.

Nikki Thompson, Charity Manager at Cash for Kids, added: "Thank you so much again Team Farleys you are my heroes!"

Maundy Relief

Maundy Relief provides food parcels for vulnerable people in the Accrington area. As a result of supermarket shortages and buying restrictions, the charity has launched an appeal in order to continue providing an increasing number of food parcels. Where possible they are asking for donations of any spare tinned food with a long shelf life.

Lucy Hardwick, Manager at Maundy Relief commented: "I am so grateful. We are still operating food parcels and emergency advice and we are quite stretched. The generous donation from the Farleys Foundation will be an enormous help."

Mustard Tree

Mustard Tree is a Greater Manchester based charity which supports the homeless and vulnerable within the community. Their team are also delivering food parcels to those in need. They’ve worked out that each parcel costs them £8 to deliver and are asking for contributions to their COVID-19 crisis fund to help keep it sustainable. The Farleys Foundation grant has the potential to assist with the delivery of 125 food parcels.

Jack Barton of Mustard Tree said: "Huge thank you for this gesture – it really has come at a time of great need and we are massively humbled by your generosity. We’re striving to stay open to help the most vulnerable people in Greater Manchester have access to food and vital supplies – donations like this keep us able to do that – thank you so much."

Blackburn Food Bank

Blackburn Food Bank, located close to Farleys’ head office, serves the Blackburn with Darwen community and, as it is anticipated the use of foodbanks across the country will increase over the next few months, is appealing for funds to ensure they “are able to buy the things that we absolutely need and will also relieve pressure on already stretched supermarkets shelves. It will also ensure that if we have to switch the way we work we will have access to funds to cover any additional costs.”

Burnley Together

Burnley Together is a brand new initiative which launched in March in response to the coronavirus outbreak, as a “community hub” to co-ordinate help and support for residents across the borough.

The hub will provide a “one stop shop” where businesses, groups and individuals who want to help and can offer services, and those who need help, can be brought together. Among their services, the hub will be working to ensure vulnerable people in the community have the food and supplies they need and the grant from the Farleys Foundation will assist with this.

Burnley Together will be keeping everyone updated through their website and Facebook page.

Stephen Greenwood, partner at Farleys and Trustee of the Farleys Foundation, commented: "Many families and already vulnerable people have been affected massively by the current situation, including people who have lost their jobs; those that can’t get the basic essentials they need, and those who have extra unexpected outgoings now that everyone is required to stay home.

"We saw the appeals from these charities and felt, as a local firm, it was only right for us to offer our help financially.  The Farleys Foundation was set up to help causes in the area when they need it most and these causes fall right under that."

Reta Rose, trustee of the Farleys Foundation and Marketing Manager at Farleys added: "We hope other people and businesses who are able to will offer their help to these local causes so we can all pull through what is an incredibly unprecedented and difficult situation together."

For more information about the Farleys Foundation, please visit our dedicated page. Alongside making donations to local causes, the team at Farleys are assisting with a hub of advice covering lots of areas you may have concerns during the coronavirus outbreak. You can find lots of information in our COVID-19 information hub.