Mansfield Building Society has donated £6,000 to the ‘School’s Out’ appeal to ensure local children don’t go hungry over the Christmas holiday period.

School’s Out provide emergency food parcels 5 days a week, 52 weeks a year – they also step in to support families in need to ensure every child has access to necessary school-wear and other educational essentials.  The charity aims to alleviate pressure on families as much as possible through donations from local businesses.

The project team has seen a large rise in the number of children that need its support meaning that School’s Out has had to stretch its finite resources even further this year, at a time when donations are falling generally for charities and other volunteer-led campaigns. 

Whilst the Government may have extended its free school meal provision through the festive period, it may not help all those in need.  Many in the area will remain on reduced wages, supported by the Government Furlough Scheme and therefore may not qualify for free meals, alongside anyone who has recently been made redundant. 

There’s no escaping that COVID-19 has impacted people, communities, charities and businesses on an unfathomable scale. 

In direct response to the School’s Out appeal, Mansfield Building Society has stepped in to ease the plight of struggling families over the festive period, pledging £6,000 to the appeal to help those most in need.

School’s Out Champion, Amanda Fisher, says “This donation is absolutely fantastic!  It enables us to carry on doing what we have always done over the Christmas period, supporting local families with food vouchers other essential items. We can’t thank Mansfield Building Society enough for their support and generosity. Sometimes it takes the community to come together and support one another in times of hardship and this is exactly that – a collaborative effort for the children of Mansfield. It’s a Mansfield miracle. We are so pleased to have Mansfield Building Society’s full support and I hope other businesses join in and help ensure we can keep up the important work for as long as we are needed!”

Mansfield Building Society’s Commercial Development Executive, Richard Crisp, commented “As a local building society, we’re here for the community, so when we saw the call to action from the School’s Out appeal, we wanted to do everything we could to help.  We hope this donation helps ease the financial strain over the festive period and provides support to those most in need.”