The employees here at Oliver & Co proudly selected the West Cheshire Foodbank as our Charity of the Year for 2023-2024. This decision kicked off a series of fundraising events and initiatives aimed at supporting the foodbank’s mission to provide essential groceries to those in need within our community.
Through our collective efforts, we raised an impressive £4843, which was generously rounded up to £5000 by the firm. We hosted a variety of events, including raffling off our prized city centre car parking spaces, organising a lunch club, holding cake sales, cycling an impressive 210 miles in a sponsored static bike ride, a quiz night, and several raffles. Each event not only boosted our fundraising total but also strengthened our team’s sense of camaraderie and purpose.
In addition to monetary contributions, we collected many kilos of grocery items, with a notable 88kg gathered in December 2023 alone. Each month featured a new theme to maintain engagement and enthusiasm within the team. We held seasonal campaigns so that no child went without treats; in November, we collected 62 Christmas gifts and advent calendars, and in March, we gathered many Easter Eggs.
Additionally, to further promote the vital work done by the West Cheshire Foodbank, we dedicated our December Legal Hour on Dee Radio to highlight the crucial support the foodbank provides our community.
Ian Oulton, Finance Trustee at the West Cheshire Foodbank, expressed his gratitude: “It has been a pleasure working with the folks at Oliver & Co. In the 12 months to March 2024, there were 2335 new referrals in our area seeking foodbank help for the first time. That’s a scary number considering we have witnessed a 20% plus drop in food donations in that period.
“The £5000 received from Oliver & Co made such a difference to the families we support. £5000 just about covers the purchase of food for a month (making up for the drop in food donations) to keep up with the demand for local people in crisis. The staff at Oliver & Co donated kilos of grocery items for us. We also loved the seasonal touches they provided – Santa gifts, advent calendars, and Easter Eggs that we were able to give to over 100 of our families. Times continue to be so tough for people, so the help from Oliver & Co was gratefully received.”
Hope Gill-Daintith, Corporate & Commercial Solicitor at Oliver & Co and an active member of the Oliver & Co Corporate Social Responsibility Team said, “Our partnership with the West Cheshire Foodbank has been such a rewarding experience. Not only has it been a fun year of activities and events, bringing us closer together as a team, we are delighted that we could make a real tangible difference to the people who needed it most in our local community. Reflecting on the past year, we feel proud and thankful for the opportunity to support such a crucial cause.”
