Community-conscious, Jarrow-based, UTS Engineering, is helping to make Christmas a little more comfortable for struggling families with a donation of £12,000 to Hebburn Helps Community Food Bank and Response Team
A voluntary community organisation, Hebburn Helps was established in 2015 to support struggling families with food parcels, clothing, baby equipment, toys and household items. It receives no grants and relies totally on the generosity of local people and support from local companies.
The donation from UTS will help towards running costs and plans for expansion.
UTS Engineering is the leading supplier of pipework to the UK utilities sector and its products and services are predominantly called upon when its customers are maintaining or carrying out emergency work to their pipe infrastructure. Its roots are firmly based in South Tyneside, with two companies in Jarrow.
Shaun Sadler, group managing director at UTS, said: “I recently visited Hebburn Helps and was so impressed by the work it does for people who are struggling in the community.
“I felt truly humbled to witness, at first hand, the work the team of volunteers do for those who, for whatever reason, need support. I am making the donation on behalf of the UTS Group of companies and our hardworking staff. I would like to encourage other local companies to become involved with this truly worthy cause. We need charities that can support people when things get tough, especially around the festive period.”
Among its many achievements during the year, Hebburn Helps has distributed 3,500 emergency food parcels, prepared 1,800 pack lunches during school holidays, cooked 700 hot meals and organised a day trip to Scarborough for over 90 children.
Angie Comerford, co-founder of Hebburn Helps, said: “We are overwhelmed with the generous donation from UTS Engineering, which will allow us to help a great number of people who use our services. We rely on kind-hearted people in the community who make donations and it is fantastic to have the support of a local business. The donation takes away a lot of the pressure that we were facing going in to the New Year and will help to finance our Holiday Hunger Club. Times are hard at the minute for many people and families are struggling to put food on the table for their children. We cannot predict the future but we can help people right now and we never turn our back on anyone in need.
“We are currently gathering our annual Christmas hampers and toys to give to children and we would be most grateful for any donations that people can spare. It really does mean the world to the individuals and families who receive our support over Christmas, a time that puts a lot of stress on people, especially parents, who are worrying about how to make Christmas special for their children.”
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