North-east member owned co-operative ANM Group has chosen Aberdeenshire North Foodbank as its charity of the year.
The group, which hosts various fundraisers and events each year, will see all funds go towards sourcing cattle through the live ring to be used as food parcels in time for Christmas.
Along with the generous support of local butcher Forbes Raeburn in Huntly, where the beef will be prepared, the group’s target is to raise enough money to purchase two cows which is the equivalent of 2,000 meals.
The Aberdeenshire North Foodbank, supported by the Trussell Trust, operates and runs five food banks across the north-east including pick up and drop off points in Inverurie, Ellon, Huntly, Fraserburgh and Peterhead.
In 2022, the local food bank handed out over 8,600 food parcels.
On a mission to combat poverty and hunger the charity also run a series of projects including a Food Pod initiative in Huntly, which aims to help individuals understand more about growing and cooking fresh produce.
Aberdeenshire North Food Bank representative Shona Singer said: “We are so grateful to ANM Group for their incredibly generous pledge, especially as demand continues to rise across Aberdeenshire.
“We believe that food banks should have no place in our community and ANM Group
sharing their influence and platform with us is so appreciated, as we campaign to end the need for emergency food.”
ANM Group, charity committee member, Katie McRobbie said: “Aberdeenshire North Foodbank provides a service which is critical to many members of our local community and aligns closely with our co-operative values.
“We’re delighted that this year’s fundraising effort will support a service which directly supports people in the north-east as well as helping to feed families over Christmas while drawing attention to the value of locally sourced produce.”