Friendly foodbank donations

Updated: 10 Apr 2024

Capital of the Fens Oddfellows, based in Wisbech in Cambridgeshire, has donated items equivalent to more than 250 meals to The Trussell Trust’s Wisbech Foodbank.

A group effort

Social Organiser at Capital of the Fens Oddfellows, Tina Day-Coombes, arranged the collection at the group’s Outwell and Wisbech coffee mornings in February. She was inspired to do so after her daughter, who volunteers at The Trussell Trust’s Wisbech Foodbank, told her they ran short of food this time last year.

Tina said: “Everyone is happy to give donations at Christmas but they are needed all year round. I am immensely proud of the members that donated, some more than once too.

“Knowing that those who need it most are going to benefit from our members’ generosity is a lovely thing.”

Items donated by members at the Wisbech coffee morning

Supporting the community

Among the items the group collected were dried pasta, tinned goods, rice, crisps, biscuits, toiletries and pet food.

Margaret Gibbs, Project Manager at The Trussell Trust’s Wisbech Foodbank, has thanked the group for its “generous support”, adding that the 110kg of food donated “equates to approximately 262 meals”.

Stan Spinks is both a volunteer at The Trussell Trust’s Wisbech Foodbank and a member of Capital of Fens Oddfellows. He said: “I’d like to say a huge thank you to my fellow Oddfellows for their generosity, and specifically Tina for organising the donations. We’re in need of as much as people can give.

“For those who are able to donate, we also have collection points at the local Tesco, Asda and Morrisons stores.”

Capital of the Fens Oddfellows' members also donated around 40kg of items at its coffee morning in Littleport, which has been given to the foodbank organised by St George’s Parish Church in the same village.

Tina Day-Coombes with some of the donations from the Littleport coffee morning 

A culture of giving back

Giving back is in the DNA of the Oddfellows. Branches up and down the country regularly raise money for, and provide donations to, brilliant causes. The Society also has a number of funds that aim to improve lives. Learn more in our Giving Back section.

To find out more about Capital of the Fens Oddfellows, contact Tina via email on tina.day-coombes@oddfellows.co.uk or call 07751 777 862.

And if you’re elsewhere in the UK, you can find your closest Oddfellows friendship group by using our online Branch Finder, or discover events in your area by going to our Events Finder.