Alton food bank has received nearly 400kg of food, toiletries and other household goods from Cala Homes, thanks to the efforts of the homebuilder’s site team in the town and employees at its headquarters.

The donations, which were collected throughout December, will help the food bank provide much-needed support to the local community.

Alton food bank, located in Market Square and part of the Trussell Trust network, offers a range of vital services to the community, not only collecting various food donations and household goods but also school uniforms to help those in need.

Ian Dane, Alton food bank manager, said: “This is likely to be the most challenging winter for our food bank, and the soaring cost of living means more and more people are being forced to use services like ours.

“We rely heavily on the local churches and community groups to help us stop hunger in Alton and surrounding villages, which is why this boost from Cala is extremely generous and much appreciated.

“Thanks to Cala’s support, we’ll be able to continue providing basics to those in need for the first few months of the year at a time when food banks are experiencing far more demand than donations.”

Cala Homes was particularly keen to support the food bank as it is just a ten-minute walk from its Rivermead Gardens development in Alton.

John Richards, land and planning director at Cala Homes (Thames), who organised the donation, said: “As a homebuilder, supporting the local community across the region is a key priority for us and teaming up with Alton food bank is just one part of that commitment.

“Across our Alton site team, our contractors and office, we divided up into teams to prioritise various items so we could offer a wide range of donations for those who need a helping hand.”