Building Society The Cumberland has donated £175,000 to support local charities supporting people impacted by food insecurity.

The Cumbria based building society is handing the money to FareShare Lancashire and Cumbria, and FareShare Glasgow and the West of Scotland through its Kinder Kind of Kitchen initiative for local projects such as food banks.

These donations bring the total made to good causes through the initiative to £675,00 since it launched two years ago.

The latest donations were made to mark the building society’s 175th anniversary this year. FareShare Lancashire and Cumbria are receiving £158,000 and FareShare Glasgow and the West of Scotland are receiving £17,000 for local groups.

“It’s incredibly moving to see the impact local food projects are having across our communities, and we’re proud to support them for a third year with a £175,000 donation,” said The Cumberland’s chief customer officer Claire Deekes.

“Visiting the projects and meeting the volunteers gives us a real sense of how essential this support is – and how our funding is helping them continue, and in many cases expand, their work.

“Sadly, the need remains high, with more people than ever struggling to access the basics. That’s why we’ve chosen to continue our Kinder Kind of Kitchen initiative, reaching people who really need a helping of kindness.”

Fiona Heslam, a volunteer at one of the projects that has already been supported, the Village Larder in Great Clifton, Workington, added: “Ours was previously a mining and industrial area and I’d listened to lots of people saying how they missed the sense of community that used to be here.

“There’s no shop or pub in the village where we first started up, and food is a great way of getting a community spirit going.
“We set up in March 2024, signed up for the Kinder Kind of Kitchen initiative and started to receive a huge variety of food.”

Jim Burns, director of operations at Move On, the charity that delivers FareShare Glasgow and the West of Scotland, said: “Our community food partners use the surplus food we supply and turn it into nutritious, healthy meals, helping to improve the health and wellbeing of those who access their vital services and other services like it in Dumfries and Galloway.

“In order for us to continue to provide this vital work and supply surplus food to charities we rely on support from The Cumberland, who we have worked with over the last two years.

“They have been pivotal in not only providing funding to us, but also on the ground support, volunteering at both at our FareShare depot and at our community food partners. They help and support us to highlight the essential work we do.

“We are very grateful and excited that The Cumberland have chosen to continue to support us again this year and are thrilled that, with their backing, to be able to continue our work in Dumfries and Galloway.”

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