Tow Law Lodge Helps Tow Law Food Bank

The idea for food banks came from John Van Hengel, an American man who in 1967 found a woman and her 10 children scavenging for food behind a supermarket.  To help her source safe edible food John Van Hengel approached the supermarket owner and asked if there was any food about to be thrown out the family could have. An idea was born and the first food banks came to Europe and to the UK in 2004. 

By 2014 food banks in the UK were supplying 1 million parcels of food.  By 2024 this had increased further to 3 million. (source statista.com)

On the 23rd January 2025 by chance the Master of Tow Law Lodge heard an appeal on the BBC local news from Fiona Nicol of the Tow Law food bank saying in her 9 years volunteering this was the first time they had run out of food, not a tin of beans was to be had.

After a few phone calls to determine exactly what the food bank needed the Master of the Lodge under close supervision of his wife visited one of the local supermarkets and came out with a trolley loaded with food and provisions for the food bank.

Many of the businesses in Tow Law are already helping and supplying to the food bank.  On the day we were able to help a little.