Johnston Carmichael supports local foodbank

From June 2014 to May 2015, the Forfar office participated in a series of fundraising initiatives which raised £861 for the Angus Foodbank, and included donating non-perishable food items, monthly dress down days, bake sales and monthly soup days, whereby a friend of the office, Steph Nicholson, made homemade batches of soup for the rest of the team to enjoy for lunch in return for a donation.

The Angus Foodbank provides emergency food and support to local people in crisis in the Angus area.

The funds raised by Johnston Carmichael will be used to purchase the food included in the emergency food boxes distributed to those in need, to ensure that they have enough food to last at least three days.

The funds will also allow the foodbank to deliver the boxes by vehicle to those in need based in remote areas of Angus, who might not be able to travel to the foodbank.

In addition to the monetary aid, three representatives from the firm’s Forfar office donated their time when they visited the Foodbank in October to support the charity by helping to assemble emergency food boxes.

Roddy Anderson, managing partner of Johnston Carmichael’s Forfar office, said: “At Johnston Carmichael we are committed to giving something back to the local communities in which we operate. This year’s office fundraising campaign has been a great success, which has been made possible by the whole team’s dedication to raising funds for this very-deserving local cause.

“With 13 million people living below the poverty line in the UK, it is important that we support initiatives that can make a real difference to their lives. The food we have sitting in our cupboards is often taken for granted, but for those in crisis, a food parcel from the Angus Foodbank could offer a much-needed life-line.

“It was an inspiring experience for the members of the Forfar office to visit the Angus Foodbank. They were able to see for themselves the great work that the volunteers carry out on a daily basis, and realise the positive impact the funds we have raised will have on local people.”

Johnston Carmichael’s contribution, Alf Collington, Angus foodbank manager, said: “Without donations such as this we would find it very difficult to carry out our work. We very much appreciate that in the current economic climate, it is very difficult for businesses to support charities, and this makes the donation even more valuable to us. We would like to thank Johnston Carmichael and all of the firm’s staff for their support.”

The Angus foodbank is run in partnership with local churches led by Strathmore Christian Fellowship, and is part of the foodbank network managed by The Trussell Trust, a Christian charity committed to community action against poverty and marginalisation in the UK and Bulgaria. You can find out more about the Angus foodbank on their website here.