Froxfield store stocks up foodbank

 

Froxfield villagers, their village shop and the local councillor have come together to stock up a foodbank helping hundreds in their hour of need. 

The owner of Froxfield Village Stores has played a leading role in raising money and buying food for the Petersfield Foodbank, which has helped struggling local families during the pandemic. 

Howard Bevis has collected donations from his customers, used his status as a shop-owner to buy wholesale groceries and received a £600 grant from his local East Hampshire DIstrict Councillor Nick Drew. 

Elaine Knox, Chair of the Trustees for Petersfield Foodbank, said: “Howard has been an absolute star for us. 

“He has really stepped up, going to the cash-and-carry and buying bulk, which we wouldn’t be able to do. 

“It is marvellous how generous his customers have been, not only giving him donations of food, but also money. We can then send him off with a shopping list to get the items we’re missing.” 

The pandemic tested families to the limit and the foodbank, run out of the Methodist Church in Station Road, Petersfield, saw the number of food parcels given out sky-rocket from 319 in 2019 to more than a thousand in 2020. 

Howard said: “During the lockdown the number of people using the food bank shot up and it was clear they needed help, so I volunteered to collect for them. 

“Owning a shop made it easy for me to collect food and my customers were brilliant, they donated food and money to us stock up the foodbank. Cllr Nick Drew also gave us £600 and that was a huge help. 

“It is so important to support the local foodbank because you never know when you might need some support yourself. One wrong turn in life and it could be any of us using a foodbank. That's why it is so vital to help people when they’re in need.”  

Cllr Nick Drew, the member for Froxfield, said: “Howard and the residents of Froxfield have been dedicated and generous in their support of the Petersfield Foodbank and I am proud to have been able to grant them £600 from my councillor grant fund.” 

Photo caption: L-R Cllr Nick Drew, Howard Bevis, of Froxfield Stores, and Elaine Knox of Petersfield Foodbank