Generous shoppers help smash 'Foodbank Fifty' challenge for Luton Feedbank - exceeding target by 40%

The Mall’s ‘Foodbank Fifty’ challenge in support of Luton Foodbank has come to an end after running throughout July, with its grand total exceeding targets by 40%.

The Mall celebrates 50 years of supporting community life this summer and has been encouraging support for their chosen charity of the year, Luton Foodbank, as part of their celebrations. The aim of the challenge was to receive an average of 50 items donated every day throughout July, which was exceeded with an average of 70 items donated per day and 2,167 items in total.

Luton Foodbank has been seeing higher demand paired with lower donation levels throughout the summer. All donations will be distributed throughout the community of Luton and the surrounding areas, to those who are struggling with the cost of living increasing at such a rapid rate.

Although the month’s campaign has come to a close, The Mall continues to accept donations for Luton Foodbank at the drop off point, located outside of Tesco Express. There is also a tap to donate feature available for those that would rather donate money than food.

Lavinia Douglass, Marketing Manager at The Mall Luton, said: “We would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who donated to our Foodbank Fifty challenge throughout July. It has been overwhelming to see the amount of support our community has shown to such a fantastic charity, and the donations are set to make a huge difference to those in need. In particular, we would like to say thank you to the Wellbeing Hub for their brilliant efforts in supporting us, with a large donation from their staff!”

Salma Khan, project manager of Luton Foodbank, said: "We want to thank our friends at The Mall Luton for their recent Foodbank Fifty campaign, which provided us with wonderful donations. With the cost of living continuing to impact upon more families, even more people in our

town are facing difficulties. Our partnership with The Mall Luton is an important one and helps us to provide support to those in need."

The Mall’s birthday year continues throughout the summer with ongoing activities including Summer Tales and Trails, which features book character appearances, a creative writing competition and a trail with story-based selfie stations.