Antrim Foodbank, a project of Oasis Antrim, is today celebrating after being awarded National Lottery funding to help support its work to build a hunger free future.
The project, based at the Oasis Antrim Community Support Hub on High Street, Antrim, has been running since 2015 and is staffed by local volunteers who run five sessions a week across the Town.
The new funding from The National Lottery Community Fund, which distributes money raised by National Lottery players for good causes and is the largest community funder in the UK, will help fund a part-time Project Manager.
Fionnuala O’Donnell of Antrim Foodbank said:
We’re delighted that The National Lottery Community Fund has recognised our work in this way. Now, thanks to National Lottery players we will be able to keep Antrim Foodbank going for another year.
We have seen a 15% increase in the number of emergency food parcels distributed compared to last year. This is the most parcels the food bank has ever provided. Meanwhile, food donations are down. People who might have donated to Antrim Foodbank last year are relying on food bank vouchers this year.
The National Lottery Community Fund recently launched its new strategy, ‘It starts with community’, which will underpin its efforts to distribute at least £4 billion of National Lottery funding by 2030.
As part of this, the funder has four key missions, which are to support communities to come together, be environmentally sustainable, help children and young people thrive and enable people to live healthier lives.
National Lottery players raise over £30 million a week for good causes across the UK. Thanks to them, last year The National Lottery Community Fund was able to distribute over half a billion pounds (£615.4 million) of life-changing funding to communities.
To find out more visit www.TNLCommunityFund.org.uk
