Chorley Food Bank packs hundreds of lunches for youngsters

Volunteers are busily packing 100 lunches a day, three days a week for hungry school children in Chorley.
Helpers at Living Waters Food Bank ready to hand out pack lunches for primary school children in ChorleyHelpers at Living Waters Food Bank ready to hand out pack lunches for primary school children in Chorley
Helpers at Living Waters Food Bank ready to hand out pack lunches for primary school children in Chorley

It is part of a summer project spearheaded by Living Waters Food Bank to make sure that primary pupils get at least one meal a day over the holidays.

The project, the brainchild of Food Bank volunteer Pat Webb, launched at that start of the holidays, estimating to put together 2,000 pack lunches over the summer.

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“We are on target– the numbers are what I expected,” said Pat, who is 71.

“It’s going really well at the moment. It was a bit slow to start but word got round and I think it could get busier.

“I have got a great band of volunteers, they are fantastic!”

Volunteering at the Food Bank Pat was very aware of the struggles families face over the school holidays to provide meals for their children.

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It was out of this concern that she made a trip to a project in Bolton, Urban Outreach, which provides lunches over the summer for students.

“I went to see how they did it and I thought, oh we can do this in Chorley,” said Pat. “During the summer if you have three hungry children at home all day it can be a nightmare.”

Up until Thursday, August 31 volunteers at Living Water Food Bank will make up pack lunches three days a week - on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

School children from Chorley are able to pick up the pack lunches from either Living Waters Church in Bolton Street, St Peter’s Community Hall in Harper’s Lane or Chorley All Saints’ CoE Primary School and Nursery Unit in Moor Road. The venues are staffed between 11am-12pm.

Accompanied by an adult, children can pick up a pack lunch which includes a sandwich, a piece of fruit, a drink and a snack.

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