Asda donates £16k to Walsall community centre so it can give hot food to people in need
A Walsall community centre has received more than £16,000 from a major supermarket to help towards the refurbishment of its kitchen.
Volunteers at Pelsall Community Centre say their kitchen has fallen into a state of "non-compliance", meaning they cannot serve hot food to people who need it in the community.
However, the donation from the Asda Foundation has given them 75 per cent of the funding towards the kitchen refurbishment.
A newly revamped kitchen would benefit the community centre when it returns to becoming a warm space in the winter, so hot food can be provided to people in need.
Arthur Roberts from the Pelsall Community Centre said: "We applied for the funding as we've built a relationship with the Bloxwich Asda store champion, Michaela Hawthorn.
"We told her what we wanted to do and she helped us through the application process and championed the application for us."
He went on to say: "Our kitchen is falling into non-compliance for commercial use. In the winter we have our warm space, but we can't currently supply hot food to people who really need it.
"There's also a sports association who use us as an office space and the kids do sports here. Those entitled to free school meals, at the moment, we have to buy the lunches in.
"If the kitchen were compliant then the kids can get involved in making their own food."
The community centre still needs to raise 25 per cent of the funds needed for the refurbishment, and will be hosting various events including a summer fayre to raise they money they require.
The Asda Foundation has awarded grants totalling more than £600,000 to 31 local groups, charities and good causes to transform community spaces - including Pelsall Community Centre.
Arthur concluded: "A big thank you to Asda for all the work they do in communities and a big thank you to Michaela for supporting us through our application. We can't thank these people enough."
