A discounted food charity aimed at supporting working families struggling to make ends meet has revealed it is making a surprise return to Helston.
Devon & Cornwall Food Action (DCFA), which is based in Plymouth, holds monthly events at different locations in Cornwall, at which you can pay £25 and get a large amount of food, toiletries and household goods.
It had previously said it would no longer be coming to Helston due to the rising costs of travelling.
In response to a question social media about why DCFA had cancelled its visits to the town, a representative said: “Unfortunately we have had to make the decision to cancel Helston due to rising costs coming down from Plymouth.
“Please do book in for Camborne, Hayle or Truro. We need a certain amount of people to make it viable as we are a charity and don’t get any funding to help.”
It had also been confirmed by the Helston venue co-ordinator, who said: “It is with great sadness that we have to confirm that Devon & Cornwall Food Action - DCFA will no longer be visiting Helston Community College.
“We know how valuable this service was to so many in our community and how greatly this will be missed. As a school, we continue to remain committed to supporting our whole community and will share any further opportunities like this, as we become aware of them.”
However, on Monday evening DCFA shared the schedule for its November events – and Helston is included, on Saturday, November 23.
When questioned about it by a Facebook user, saying they thought the Helston visits had stopped, a charity representative replied: “No, it is on again, November 23, 10am to 11am.”
The charity is continuing to ask people attending to pre-order by calling in advance, to ensure volunteers knew how much to bring from the warehouse. Call 07880 835331 by November 19 to book.
Different to a foodbank, people don’t need a referral or even to book – and there is a charge, although it is much lower than what it would cost to buy the equivalent items from a supermarket.
You can read more about what’s in the bags here: I paid £25 and got a week's worth of shopping - and so can you thanks to DCFA
Alan Dunne, the charity’s chairman, explained to the Packet in January that the rationale behind it was cut down on food waste and help working people who find their monthly pay cheque is covering less and less.
He said at the time: “This is aimed at everyone; it’s quite inclusive. It’s for people to combat the cost-of-living crisis – we’re talking about working poverty here.”
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