Moy Park has partnered with community groups around each of its sites in Northern Ireland to donate almost a thousand meals a week to those who need it most during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The healthy and nutritious meals, which can be heated up at home, have been created by Moy Park’s culinary team in Craigavon and will be distributed by Good Morning Ballymena in Antrim, The Simon Community in Portadown and Armagh, STEP in Tyrone and Via Wings in Dromore, Co Down. Last month, Moy Park donated over 3,000 meals to the Resource Centre Derry.
Several businesses have donated produce for the meals such as vegetables, bread and sauces, including Kerry Foods Portadown, Wilson’s Country, The Flavour Works, Irwin’s Bakery, Daily Fresh, Kendal Agencies from Newtownards, Griffith Foods and Newlywed Food. The packaging has been donated by JMC Packaging in Craigavon.
Speaking about the donations, Moy Park’s Head of Culinary, Aaron Dixon said: “Each of these organisations provide vital outreach services to the most vulnerable people in our local communities and we are keen to offer whatever support we can at this difficult time. We are so grateful to the ongoing generous donations from other food and packaging companies who are helping us meet the demand for extra meals. It great to see everyone – from local businesses to our own chefs, kitchen staff and volunteers – going the extra mile to support and protect vulnerable people.”
The Simon Community is one organisation benefiting from the meal donations. Simon Community is Northern Ireland’s leading homelessness charity, providing shelter and support for vulnerable individuals across 21 accommodation projects situated throughout Northern Ireland.
Arlene Irvine, Accommodation Manager at Simon Community said: “The generous donations received from Moy Park go a long way to helping our team support individuals experiencing homelessness. For someone with limited funds, the gift of food means an awful lot and allow our staff to build relationships and trust with clients. At our Portadown and Armagh projects, our onsite chefs are using the donations to keep clients fed and entertained by encouraging meal preparation participation. The development of such independent living skills help ensure that clients can maintain a tenancy moving forward.”