Salvation Army provides food vouchers to help families in Blackpool through school holidays

Thanks to a generous donation from the Rotary Club of Blackpool, The Salvation Army chose to spend the funds on food vouchers which were given to families struggling to make ends meet over the school half term holiday.

The church and charity, on Raikes Parade, provided vouchers for discount supermarket chain Aldi and worked with a number of local schools to identify the families most in need of support as the cost-of-living continues to affect people on the lowest of incomes.

Captain Naomi Clifton, church leader of The Salvation Army in Blackpool said: “We see hardworking people week in week out struggling to make ends meet and holiday hunger is still a very real thing for many families within our community. During school holidays when the lifeline of free school meals isn’t available, costs can mount up quickly and worries can rise of where the next meal is coming from. We hear of people cutting back on heating or electric use so that they can feed their children and that is not a choice we feel people should have to make.

“The Rotary Club’s generous donation has allowed us to support families who have been identified as needing a little bit of extra support and we rely on the generosity of people to allow us to continue our work within the community.”

The Salvation Army also has a Just Giving page, dedicated specifically to its work in Blackpool which can be found at www.justgiving.com/the-salvation-army-blackpool and whilst all donations are welcome people are encouraged to donate only what they can afford.

Stephen Simpson, president of the Rotary Club of Blackpool said: “We are pleased to work in partnership with The Salvation Army. We are aware that families are in financial difficulties, and we hope our donation can help to make a difference.”