Firms join forces to organise charity food drive

Consultancy Armsons Barlow has teamed up with another company for a food drive in support of Derby Food 4 Thought Alliance.

The Derby-based firm of project managers, construction cost consultants, and building surveyors has joined forces with engineering consultancy Jackson Purdue Lever to organise the Harvest Festival Food Drive.

The initiative is part of Armsons Barlow’s ongoing commitment to the organisation, which it selected as their annual charity earlier this year.

Over the past few weeks, both companies have been collecting essential non-perishable food items for DF4TA, which has been a crucial lifeline for those facing food insecurity in the Derby community.

The items have been collected from the local businesses, as well as other companies in the construction industry from further afield, with donations including cereal, tinned soup, rice, pasta, biscuits, tinned fruit, tea, coffee and biscuits.

Originally established as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Derby Food 4 Thought Alliance has since become a longer-term solution to addressing the root causes of deprivation and poverty in the area.

The charity now supports people in Derby who are experiencing food insecurity, through food provision, signposting, support, and advice.

To date, almost 250,000 items have been distributed via the charity’s central storage unit in Ascot Drive.

In May, Armsons Barlow raised £2,700 for the charity at its annual golf day at Kedleston Park Golf Club.

Josh Toon, director at Armsons Barlow, said: “Our partnership with Derby Food 4 Thought Alliance is incredibly important to us, and we’ve seen first-hand the difference they make in addressing food insecurity in the city.

“Thanks to Jackson Purdue Lever for joining us on the initiative and all the businesses and individuals who have supported our Harvest Festival Food Drive.

“We look forward to planning more events in the coming months to support DF4T as well as other local charities.”

Paul Brookhouse, senior manager at DF4TA, said: “We currently support with around up to 2,000 food parcels a month and spend around £8,000 to £10,000 a month on food to keep our partner food providers stocked up, so donations are needed just as much now as when we launched the charity at the height of the pandemic in 2020.

“Thanks to Armsons Barlow and Jackson Purdue Lever for their support of DF4T, which enables us to continue providing essential support to those people across the city who need it most.”