Opus People Solutions has donated more than 80 food parcels to Walsall's Best Start in Life Family Hubs, helping to provide additional support to local families during the summer holidays.
The initiative was organised by Opus People Solutions' Social Work Recruitment team, with colleagues coming together to collect and donate food and everyday essentials. The campaign builds on a successful donation drive delivered last year, after seeing first-hand the positive impact the parcels had on local families and hearing from Family Hub teams about the difference the support would make.
The parcels were delivered to Walsall's North Locality Family Hub on 29 July, where Family Support Workers from hubs across the borough collected them for distribution to families accessing local services.
Designed to provide practical support during the school holidays, each parcel contained a range of staple food items to help families prepare meals at home. The initiative aimed to help ease some of the additional financial pressures that families can face during the summer break, when access to school meals is unavailable.
Supporting local communities is an important part of Opus People Solutions' commitment to delivering social value. By working closely with our local authority partners and community services, we aim to make a positive contribution beyond recruitment services and to support the communities where we operate.
James Carr, Head of Social Work Recruitment at Opus People Solutions, said:
“ We're always keen to add value wherever we can, particularly in the communities we work alongside.
Following last year's donation, we gained a greater understanding of the challenges some families face during the school holidays and the vital role the Walsall HAF Programme and Family Hubs play in supporting local families. That inspired us to bring colleagues, friends and family together once again this year.
The programme provides invaluable support to children and families throughout the school holidays, and we're pleased to be able to support the fantastic work being delivered across the borough.”
The initiative supports the ambitions of Feeding Walsall's Future: The Food Plan (2025-2030)(opens in new tab) by helping to ensure that local families can access healthy, nutritious food during the school holidays. By supporting households facing food insecurity and promoting good food choices, the initiative contributes to Walsall’s vision of creating a fairer, healthier and more sustainable food system for all residents.
For more information about Walsall's Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) Programme, visit: https://go.walsall.gov.uk/children-and-young-people/holiday-activities-programme-haf
