DJ Property, the Weymouth-based commercial property developer and landlord, has gifted a large, new warehouse to Weymouth Foodbank.

The gift will provide the foodbank with relief from rental expenses and boost the charity’s capacity to meet skyrocketing demand for its services.

Mickey Jones of DJ Property said “The local community are facing such uncertain times and over the past few years we have seen a growing demand for Weymouth Foodbank.

“It is important to support these charities so they can continue their good work in the local community. It gives DJ Property pleasure to support this charity by providing a substantial unit in support of the local community.

“Weymouth Foodbank is very well managed and converts a very high proportion of its donations directly into food for its beneficiaries. This efficiency is a key reason why DJ Property have chosen to support this charity.”

With a continued surge in the need for food assistance, Weymouth Foodbank faced a daunting challenge of accommodating a massive 57 per cent increase in demand in 2023.

The foodbank saw a total of 7,148 referrals last year alone, including families, couples and singles. It provided 81,594 meals to 10,973 adults and 3183 children locally.

The new, rent free warehouse at Cambridge Road, Granby Industrial Estate equips Weymouth Foodbank to efficiently manage larger food deliveries from suppliers, crucially enhancing its operational capabilities. The savings in accommodation charges from DJ Property will enable Weymouth Foodbank to redirect those funds towards purchasing essential food supplies.

Jean-Paul Dervley – Chair Weymouth Foodbank said “We are so grateful to DJ Property for providing us with an even better warehouse for us to operate from. We need a base to collect the food, sort it, store it and deliver to our three Foodbank locations. As a result of the cost of living crisis, demand for our services increased by 57% last year.

“We are therefore having to buy a lot of food to supplement the food donations we receive. We needed a warehouse like this to be able to take delivery of bulk deliveries.

“The warehouse provided by DJ Property is perfect for our current needs. We work hard to minimise our costs so that we can use as much of our donations as possible to buy food to feed hungry people. The provision of this warehouse makes a significant contribution to us achieving this.

“We would like to say a big thank you to DJ Property and all our generous donors.”

• To learn more about Weymouth Foodbank and how to support its mission, please visit
  www.weymouthfoodbank.co.uk.

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