Ongoing Rotary backing for Calder Food Support

Rotary Club of Hebden Bridge has confirmed the continuation of its £200 per month support for Calder Food Support (CFS), recognising the organisation as a key pillar of practical help and compassion in the Calder Valley.

Calder Food Support is run by dedicated volunteers who provide food and hygiene bags to individuals and families experiencing financial crisis, with an average of 44 bags a week being distributed over the past six months at a cost of around £1,900 per month. During school holidays, the team also assembles “Holiday Hunger” bags to help feed children who would normally receive free school meals, with 118 such bags provided last summer at a cost of about £700.

During winter, Calder Food Support prepared additional Christmas bags, offering extra items for those who are already struggling and for whom the festive season can be especially challenging; last year 90 Christmas bags were distributed at a cost of £900. Alongside these core services, CFS operates warm spaces at Valley Road Surgery and Kershaw Crescent Community Centre, providing a welcoming environment as well as practical support.

The organisation works closely with local schools, delivering weekly food and hygiene bags to two schools and making sure others know how to refer families who suddenly find themselves in crisis. It also supports a local refugee family and responds to emergency requests from social workers, such as recent help for an elderly couple in the Calder Valley living with dementia and struggling to manage.

Calder Food Support places strong emphasis on encouraging resilience and avoiding long‑term dependency. Volunteers signpost people to other support organisations, include information leaflets in food bags, redistribute surplus fruit and vegetables from Lidl, Tesco and Cropshare, and offer simple cooking ideas to help households get the most from what they receive. New users are reassured that CFS is there for the “difficult weeks” when ends will not meet, and regular visitors often choose to leave items they do not need, reinforcing the sense that the service is used when necessary rather than routinely.

Despite successful fundraising efforts and recent grants from the Calderdale Resilience Fund (£3,500) and Hebden Royd Town Council (£5,000), as well as £1,800 raised through raffles and table‑top sales, CFS expects its expenditure to exceed its income over the next six months. Rotary’s ongoing £200 per month contribution therefore remains an important part of the financial foundation that allows the group to plan ahead and maintain its level of support.

Rotary Club of Hebden Bridge pays tribute to the commitment, empathy and professionalism of Calder Food Support’s volunteers and trustees, and is proud to stand alongside them as they continue to ensure that neighbours in need across the Calder Valley do not face food poverty alone.Calder-Food-Support.docx​

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