Commuters urged to donate at train station for Bedford Foodbank

Commuters are being asked to donate food at Bedford train station.

Govia Thameslink Railway has partnered with Bedford Foodbank and The Black & Minority Ethnic Community Partnership (BMECP) Food Bank in Brighton to launch the community pilot - The Railway Food Collection.

Following the widespread impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, food banks across the country have seen unprecedented need for support.

Tom Moran, managing director for Thameslink and Great Northern, said, “The launch of The Railway Food Collection pilot follows a period of great difficulty for people across the country. We’re really proud to be working with these local food banks to provide support for the most vulnerable in our communities when demand for their services is so high."

The pilot, which is run in partnership with UK charity The Trussell Trust, will start from Tuesday, July 21. Collections will be staffed by volunteers to run each Tuesday between 7am and 1pm for six weeks inside the main station entrance.

Bedford Foodbank currently feeds more than 650 people each month.

Andrea Badman, assistant project manager, said: “Bedford Foodbank is extremely grateful to Govia Thameslink Railway for wanting to support the work we are doing by providing an opportunity to receive much-needed donations to help local people in crisis.”