Paneltex makes Christmas sweet for Hull Foodbank

Paneltex employees provided donations in Christmas-themed food drive for local charity Hull Foodbank

Vehicle body manufacturer Paneltex has announced Hull Foodbank as their charity of the year for 2022, kicking off the new year early with a festive food drive for the Hull-based poverty relief centre. Paneltex employees donated hundreds of items from the Hull Foodbank’s wish list in the week-long drive, providing mince pies, chocolates, and biscuits alongside pantry staples for the holiday season.

The company chooses a charity each year from a pool of suggestions put forward by employees. Previous charity partnerships have included Dove House Hospice, Hull & East Yorkshire MIND, and the British Heart Foundation.

“Giving back to the community is important to us,” says Paneltex founder and Managing Director Chris Berridge “which is why we choose a local charity each year. Hull has given us so much talent and room for growth, it’s only proper that we try to give back.”

Hull Foodbank, part of the Trussell Trust network, focuses primarily on short-term poverty relief by providing nutritionally balanced food parcels to people in need through a network of local agencies. “We’re pleased to have been chosen as Paneltex’s 2022 charity partner,” says Russ Barlow, spokesperson for Hull Foodbank. “Working with local businesses like Paneltex is essential to our mission of ending hunger and poverty in Hull.”

“Winter can be an exceptionally difficult time for people in precarious situations, especially those with children, so it’s always nice to be able to put some sweets or chocolate into the parcels,” says Barlow. “We like to be able to give people a little bit of normality.”

“Hull Foodbank is an excellent charity, and we’re excited to be able to support the work they do in the local community through the coming year,” says Paneltex Company Secretary Jane Berridge. “The last few years have been difficult for everyone, and with nearly a third of children in Hull now living in poverty, we wanted to do something that could make a difference.”

Paneltex is planning a number of additional drives, fundraisers, and sponsorship events throughout 2022 to help Hull Foodbank meet the needs of the Hull community. If you’d like more information about Hull Foodbank, to provide help in partnership with Hull Foodbank, or if you need the help that Hull Foodbank provides, please contact the charity by phone at 01482 224783, by email at admin@hull.foodbank.org.uk or through their website at hull.foodbank.org.uk.