A Birmingham property developer has raised more than £10,000 to support hungry families struggling with the cost of living crisis.
Court Collaboration, which is leading a host of residential schemes across the city including the 51-storey One Eastside project in Jennens Road, has donated £2,000 to the #FoodSOS campaign run by our sister website BirminghamLive.
It has also encouraged its business partners to do the same which has helped the city centre-based developer raise £10,750.
The #FoodSOS campaign was launched in June to help families struggling to put food on the table. BirminghamLive is calling on those able to give food, money or time to help where they can.
Court Collaboration has raised the money with the help of partners JRL Group, McAuliffe, MGAC | RLF, Gateley Legal and Applied Geology (scroll down to find out how you and your business can get involved).
When he heard about the campaign, Court's managing director Alex Neale wrote a message to 30 of the firm's suppliers encouraging them to donate to #FoodSOS and he is now calling on other businesses to do the same and support those feeding the hungry.
"We're really passionate about our city and trying to help Birmingham," he said.
"When we heard about the campaign we thought there was lots we could do with all our partners. We wrote a letter and sent it out to some of our key suppliers and, to be honest, it wasn't hard to get them all to buy into the idea.
"Thankfully, lots of our partners have been happy to help which is great. We're a tiny company compared to others and, if others can get behind this cause, they should.
"We're obliged to do things like this as businesses, we should be helping the local community."
In parts of Birmingham child poverty rates are well over 40 per cent and desperate families are turning to food banks to get by.
Mr Neale has called on other businesses to support this "great" cause, warning things are "only going to get worse" in the coming months.
"I walk up Colmore Row every day and I see people struggling," he added.
"This is a campaign we can all relate to - we've all seen the price of food go up, we've all seen the cost of living go up. And things are only going to get worse over the next 12 months so I think it's incumbent upon people and companies like ourselves to get the message out there and try to help as many people as we can.
"#FoodSOS just felt like something we had to get involved in."
There are several different ways you and your business can help:
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Donate money through the community JustGiving collection. Every penny will go to the food frontline to fund food and essential items
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Donate food to your nearest community food operation
- Donate time by volunteering to distribute parcels or help out at food banks, gather food, cook or serve customers at cafés. If you're a community group or corporate organisation wanting to sign up together, please get in touch
- Donate as you shop by signing up with EasyFundraising
If you need help, please click on the #FoodSOS map here to find your nearest location.
Those who support are asked to share their efforts using the #FoodSOS hashtag - and their stories might be shared in the Birmingham Mail and on BirminghamLive.
