THE Cumberland is making a £175,000 donation to support food banks and projects helping communities in need this year as it marks its 175th anniversary.
The six-figure donation means the building society has given a total of £675,000 to its Kinder Kind of Kitchen initiative since it began in 2023.
One of the initiatives being supported is Kate’s Kitchen in Annan.
In 2023, The Cumberland joined forces with FareShare Lancashire and Cumbria to help the charity’s network of food banks across Cumbria and Lancashire. The initiative, called Kinder Kind of Kitchens, was a huge success.
In 2024, it repeated the initiative and extend it to help support food projects in Dumfries and Galloway.
Since The Cumberland became involved, hundreds of volunteers from 64 community groups have served hundreds of thousands of meals.
This year, they have once again teamed up with FareShare Glasgow and the West of Scotland to distribute part of the funding to five groups in its network of frontline charities and community groups in Dumfries and Galloway.
Claire Deekes, chief customer officer at The Cumberland, said: “Visiting the projects and meeting the volunteers gives us a real sense of how essential this support is – and how our funding is helping them continue, and in many cases expand, their work.
“Sadly, the need remains high, with more people than ever struggling to access the basics. That’s why we’ve chosen to continue our Kinder Kind of Kitchen initiative, reaching people who really need a helping of kindness.”
Edith McGlasson works at Kate’s Kitchen, a volunteer-run cafe based in Annan.
She said: “The Cumberland’s Kinder Kind of Kitchen initiative has been great.
“It has supported Kate’s Kitchen by providing funding for additional meals and establishing a community relationship which allowed colleagues at The Cumberland to volunteer and assist us.”
Jim Burns, director of operations at Move On, the charity that delivers FareShare Glasgow and the West of Scotland, said: “We are very grateful and excited that The Cumberland have chosen to continue to support us again this year and are thrilled that, with their backing, to be able to continue our work in Dumfries and Galloway.”
