Colleagues at a leading East Anglian law firm banded together this week to donate more than £5,000 of food to those most in need this winter.
Ellisons Solicitors, which has offices across Essex and Suffolk, called on local businesses across the city to come forward and donate what they could to the counties foodbanks as people braced themselves for temperatures of -9C thanks to an extreme cold snap from the Arctic.
Businesses dropped off boxes loaded with goodies, with those who took part thanked with mince pies at the office.
Ellisons, together with other local businesses, donated biscuits, milk, tea bags and other essentials, dropping them off at foodbanks in Colchester, Chelmsford, Bury St Edmunds, Walton and Ipswich. Festive selection boxes were also part of the bundle as people tried to brighten the lives of those less fortunate in the run up to Christmas.
Ian Seeley, Partner and Chair of Ellisons’ Corporate Social Responsibility Committee, said: “Foodbanks across East Anglia week in, week out gives out hundreds of food parcels to those across the region who need it most, with its volunteers consistently give their time away for free to help.
“As we are preparing for Christmas, many families are struggling and wondering how to put food on the table and presents under the tree. The current cold snap is also putting pressure on people to keep themselves warm with energy prices continuing to rise.
“We hope Ellisons Solicitors food drive delivers some hope to families across Essex and Suffolk and we wish them, and everyone, a very merry Christmas.”
Ellisons Solicitors is committed to supporting the local community through the work they do and has a dedicated Corporate Social Responsibility Committee to ensure the firm is helping the neighbourhoods it serves in the best and most impactful ways.
For the Christmas drive, colleagues put out an appeal on its social media channels in November, calling on businesses to join in with the food drive. Ellisons donated £5,000 of food in total, with other businesses and some schools also doing their part and dropping food packages off to add to the pile.
Colleagues at Ellisons packaged all the food up at their offices before delivering it to the foodbanks where it will be distributed throughout December and beyond.
Last year alone, Colchester Foodbank fed 13,966 people with three-day food parcels*.
