Donations needed to support Neighbour's Kitchen as stocks running low

The Neighbours Kitchen team with Jo-Anne, collecting the donations.

The Neighbour’s Kitchen, run by Paul Hugill MBE from the Priory Hotel in Louth, offers a hamper of fresh food to families in the area who are struggling, using fresh fruit and vegetables donated by local producers, residents, and allotments.

But supplies are running low for the team, and now there is an appeal for more food donations to keep their good work going.

Spokesman Steph Laing, said: “We’re seeing a trend because more people need support and feel less able to offer that support themselves.

“We’re running out of food more often than usual to due to the economic downturn.”

Jo-Anne Tolley, a support co-ordinator at Building Resilience in Communities (BRIC), a charity which supports vulnerable children and their families in Lincolnshire, organised a food collection for the Neighbour’s Kitchen.

North Somercotes Primary School held a non-uniform day where the students brought an item of food instead of money and people donated at the local Co-op through Jo-Anne’s appeal.

Jo-Anne said: “I responded to this call because I see the impact of rising living costs on local families. We all need a helping hand with something at some point.

“This proves that, when we work together, beautiful things happen.

“It is beneficial for local services to work collaboratively and raise awareness of the support available in communities.”

Paul Hugill said: “Our mission is to feed our community hot, nutritious food daily, gifted to the most vulnerable.

“Sometimes we have to call for help from our local community when we’re low on stock, and just as the number of requests for support was at critical earlier this year point, Jo-Anne from BRIC turned up with bags of food collected from local organisations.”

The Neighbour’s Kitchen is continuing its fundraising events through its regular comedy and music nights.

The next comedy nights will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday, April 4 and 5, and will see popular MC Robyn return from touring to host the event.

Tickets are priced £10 for the comedy and £15 for a curry and comedy. Tickets at https://www.designmynight.com/uk/whats-on/comedy/comedy-at-the-priory