Meath Food Bank now a fully registered charity

The Meath Food Bank which has helped thousands of local people since the start of the pandemic, and 140 families over Christmas, has been officially designated a charity by the charity regulator.

This follows a very busy Christmas for founder Ashling Lowe and her volunteers who have become a life-line for struggling families in the county.

Ashling had to make a heartfelt plea before Christmas for help, as overheads threatened the future of the food bank and she has praised the local community for coming to the rescue and saving the vital service from closure just days before Christmas.

Thanks to the goodwill of the community, a GoFundMe appeal raised almost €4,800 in a matter of days after she made an appeal in the Meath Chronicle.

"This together with a number of cash donations from local businesses has ensured that the service that has helped around 3,500 people since the pandemic hit can keep operating for the next twelve months," she says.

Ashling and her volunteers provided assistance to over 140 families over Christmas.

"The good news is that now we are a registered charity, we will be able to fundraise to help pay for overhead costs such as rents," she said.

"I'm so grateful to everyone for being so kind and allowing us to keep going when people need us most.

"The food bank is a lifeline for a lot of people in this county.

"People who have anything extra are trying to look after it but they are willing to share it and that's an amazing thing.

"A lot of people who got help in lockdown are now the ones that are giving back and that's the way any good food bank should operate, the community should provide for it," she said