NCS participants support Burnley Community Kitchen

National Citizen Service (NCS) participants have supported Burnley Community Kitchen foodbank with donations worth over £500.

Participants from wave one of the summer 2019 NCS programme have made a huge difference to their local community by volunteering at and supporting the Burnley Community Kitchen during their social action project. The group, which was made up of two teams, raised an amazing total of £534.73 to support the community facility. £279.41 of the total was spent on much-needed tinned food stock for the Kitchen’s foodbank area, while £155.32 was spent on care package items for homeless people – each individual package was made-up by the volunteers and stored in the foodbank ready for distribution. A further £100 was then used as a direct cash donation to the Kitchen.

Much-needed support for the foodbank

Nathan Norris, Assistant Manager at the Burnley Community Kitchen, said: “The NCS teams have been a brilliant help at the Kitchen. With their kind donations, in particular the tinned food items, we are able to support more people who require food parcels. They should be very proud of themselves.”

“They worked so hard in all areas and we really look forward to having them back anytime,” added regular volunteers at the Kitchen.

NCS Manager, Callam Barnes, said: “The effort made by this group of young people to support their local community is fantastic. The care packages will provide some much-needed support for the foodbank users of the Community Kitchen. The teamwork and camaraderie shown by these two groups underpins everything that NCS stands for, the participants and their parents and guardians should be proud.”

Aimed at 16 to 17-year-olds (up to 25 with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities/SEND), NCS brings together young people from different backgrounds and gives the chance to enjoy the experience of a lifetime whilst meeting new people, making new friends, developing fresh skills and creating positive change in the community.