Food Bank ‘is great for town’

The Mayor, Councillor John Finlay, joins volunteers Peter Rollins, Jarlath Heggarty and John McClements along with Cllr. Ian Stevenson, Liz Johnston and Jackie and Hilary from Tesco at the official opening of Ballymoney Foodbank last Friday.INBM07-014 148F

Ballymoney’s first ever Food Bank officially opened its doors at the weekend with overwhelming support from the community and a ringing endorsement from the Mayor who says that the facility will be “great for the town.”

Based at Silversprings and manned by volunteers, the Food Bank will provide emergency food and support to local people in crisis.

Initially it will operate for two days a week but this is expected to grow as more volunteers are recruited.

The Bank has been in the planning stages for some six months and during that time has received tremendous support from local churches, organisations, the public and the supermarket giant Tesco along with Ballymoney Borough Council who donated £1500 on top of the proceeds of a Mayoral dinner which yielded £350.

The Mayor, Councillor John Finlay, and volunteer Peter Rollins at the official opening of Ballymoney Foodbank last Friday.INBM07-14 149F

Food supplies are in abundance according to spokesperson Peter Rollins who, along with colleagues, Jarlath Heggarty and John McClements, are rightly proud of what they achieved.

On Friday last during an open day, the Mayor, MLA, Mervyn Storey, councillors and clergy along with other interested parties called to give their support to a project which the Mayor says is vital for the Borough given the austerity measures brought in by the Government.

“This is a very welcome project and the organisers are to be congratulated. They have done a tremendous job to address a real problem in Ballymoney where some people are in great need of help,” Cllr. Finlay said.