Intelligent Car Leasing has donated a Peugeot Expert panel van for use by the Celtic FC Foundation/Glasgow NE Foodbank partnership.
The van will be used by the food bank to deliver vital food parcels to outlying communities and to make food pick-ups from supermarkets more efficient.
It’s the third van that the vehicle leasing provider, part of Fleet Alliance, has donated to Glasgow NE Foodbank since the Glasgow-headquartered company began its charitable work with the partnership in 2015.
Donna-Marie Henry, head of outcomes at Celtic FC Foundation and a trustee board member of Glasgow NE Foodbank, said: “Tackling food poverty is really important to us. We deliver our own projects but we’re not experts at food banks so partnerships, like the one we have with Glasgow North East Foodbank, make more sense.
“We work together very closely to support their work, and Linda Stuart, project manager at the food bank, had written a report noting that demand for their services was increasing and they consequently needed a larger van. It was at this point that Intelligent Car Leasing made their very generous offer.”
The Peugeot Expert, which is fully maintained by Intelligent Car Leasing, replaces the partnership’s previous Renault Kangoo van, also donated by Intelligent Car Leasing. It will be used to pick up donations from supermarkets, organisations, schools and individuals, along with a weekly bread run from Warburtons, while also delivering stock to outreach centres.
Glasgow NE Foodbank’s project manager, Linda Stuart, commented: “The demand for our service is very high so having the van means we are able to maintain the outreach services more effectively. It is vital to the local communities that they are able to access a food bank locally as many aren’t able to afford bus fares to get to the main hub.
“The service would struggle to function without the van. Now that we have a bigger vehicle it will also mean that we are able to pick up the supermarket donations in one run, which will save time and fuel and also means less physical strain on our volunteer drivers.”
The van donation is part of Fleet Alliance’s ongoing charity work. Over the Christmas period, staff at the Glasgow business also raised £5,000 for its Festive Support Fund, with donations going to the Glasgow NE Foodbank, Glasgow NW Foodbank, FareShare Sussex and Sussex Nightstop.
