Suffolk and north Essex businesses and workers are continuing to rally around to help support the community with inspiring acts of kindness during the coronavirus crisis.
A team of British Gas engineers from throughout the region have been spending their time on furlough transporting huge loads of essentials to food banks using their company vans.
The group have been collecting products from Debach warehouses in Ipswich’s Ransomes Industrial Estate before taking the fully-stacked pallets to other distribution centres.
Since they began helping the food banks on Wednesday, the engineers have travelled as far as London, Norwich and Godmanchester.
Richard Pond, who is helping with the scheme, said: “We have volunteered to do this off our own backs.
“It’s very important to help out at this time, especially for the elderly if they have to self-isolate.
“It has shocked me that the amount of food that we’ve delivered so far is just the start.”
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Meanwhile Greene King, the Bury St Edmunds-based brewer with pubs throughout the UK, have donated 3,000 litres of hand sanitiser to care homes to help shield the vulnerable from Covid-19.
The firm have given Leonard Cheshire, a health and welfare charity, the equivalent of £18,000 of the sanitiser, which will be distributed nationwide.
Greene King said they were keen to help after hearing reports of a lack of personal protective equipment in many care homes.
A spokesman said: “When we heard that Leonard Cheshire was struggling to obtain regular supplies, we knew we wanted to do something to help.
“During this worrying time, it’s important to all come together to help wherever we can.
“With our pubs currently closed we had supplies in our warehouses and are pleased that this donation will contribute to helping the charity protect their frontline care workers who are continuing to provide residents with essential support.”
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And Munchy Seeds, which operates from Leiston, have been delivering their products to Suffolk hospitals to provide frontline health workers with energy to continue fighting coronavirus.
After hearing that NHS staff were “crying out” for healthy snacks, the company decided to send boxes full of seeds to Aldeburgh and Ipswich hospitals.
The donations went down a treat with nurses and doctors - and Munchy Seeds are preparing a second batch of snacks to be delivered to Ipswich Hospital soon.
Founder Lucinda Clay said: “It’s massively important to help our health workers. Where would we be without them?
“This is the least we can do to help.
“One positive of this Covid-19 experience is the real sense of community we are feeling.”
MORE: Foodbank faces ‘busiest ever day’ as pensioner lives on nothing but cereal
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