Staff at Mercedes-Benz UK’s head office in Tongwell, Milton Keynes have been clubbing together to stock up on essential food items and donate festive treats to help local people in need of assistance.

During the run up to Christmas, a festive red Mercedes-Benz Vito Sport X van has been on display at the company’s main reception and has been used as an unusual collection point for the many food items required by Milton Keynes based charity The Food Bank.

The Food Bank is a simple system of collection, collation and distribution of essential food items to support local people living on the edge of poverty. All it takes is a sudden, unexpected event – a bereavement, illness, redundancy or theft – to throw people into a genuine crisis. The charity helps by covering the days or sometimes weeks before other parts of the social care infrastructure can come into play.

People are referred via a network of over 70 professional care agencies including Social Services, Council tenancy departments, MK Hospital, YMCA, housing associations, schools and churches. In 2007 The Food Bank provided 1057 food parcels, however in 2008 this number had more than doubled with 2390 parcels being issued. This year the charity is expecting to provide just under 3000 parcels.

Food collections also took place at the company’s Used Commercial Vehicle centre at Wentworth Park near Barnsley, Yorkshire and at sister company Mercedes-Benz Financial Services UK in Caldecotte, Milton Keynes.

Mercedes-Benz staff collected over 500 items of food, including: pasta, breakfast cereal, tinned meat, tea bags and, for the festive season, Christmas crackers, tinned salmon, sage and onion stuffing, Christmas puddings and custard and of course not forgetting the traditional German Christmas cake, Stollen.

The activity was initiated by Mercedes-Benz UK’s Charity Champions team, a group of volunteers from across the company who have a passion for charitable work and who communicate between staff and the company about the many charitable activities going on around the business.

“Christmas is a time for celebration and enjoyment, but it’s really important to remember those who through no fault of their own need some extra help and support. Our colleagues wanted to do something to help local people – and the Food Bank was a way where we could give something back and deliver Christmas cheer to families in and around Milton Keynes,” said Steve Bridge – Marketing Director Vans.

On Wednesday 23 December Charity Champion team members and representatives from the Commercial Vehicle division, Jayne Jones, Ian Knight, Mandy Freeman and Carol Gosling handed over the food collection to Food Bank Project Manager, Sue Wall.

To find out more about the Food Bank, visit mkfoodbank.org.uk