SPECSAVERS stores in Cardiff have raised more than £1,000 for the Cardiff Foodbank, as part of ongoing efforts to support those in need during the cost-of-living crisis.
Since April 2023, Specsavers’ four stores in Cardiff – located on Queen Street, Albany Road, Leckwith and Llanishen – have contributed £1 for every customer survey received, raising £1,149.
The Albany Road and Leckwith teams have also had collection points for items in-store, including tinned food, toiletries and household goods. In total, they collected more than 31kg of goods for the food bank.
Specsavers, which also offers a Home Visits service for those unable to visit one of its 1,000 locally owned stores, has supported several food banks across the UK, as the cost-of-living crisis means more people are reliant on their services.
According to charity the Trussell Trust, close to three million emergency food parcels were distributed across the UK by food banks in its network from April 2022 to March 2023.
Meanwhile, closer to home, Cardiff Foodbank announced in May that it had provided 19,253 emergency food parcels in the Welsh capital during the previous 12 months – the highest number ever and 52 per cent higher than the previous year.
Emma Shepherd, CEO of Cardiff Foodbank, says: ‘No one should need the support of our food bank because everyone in our local community should have enough money to afford the essentials in life.
‘Sadly, this isn’t the case, with more than one in five UK residents living beyond the poverty line and the cost-of-living crisis only serving to make things worse.
‘We are hugely reliant on the generosity of Cardiff residents and businesses, so we are very grateful for everything that is being done by the local Specsavers’ stores to ensure those in financial hardship are getting what they need.’
James Deavall, retail director for Specsavers in Cardiff, adds: ‘Community work is something that is very close to my heart and that of our teams in store – so supporting Cardiff Foodbank during a particularly challenging time was an opportunity we couldn’t ignore.
‘I’d like to extend a huge thanks to every one of our customers who completed a survey or donated items, as without them we couldn’t have made these charity contributions.’
