Wolverhampton food bank volunteers handed certificates in recognition of their hard work
Volunteers at a food bank in the Black Country who have helped the most vulnerable have been recognised for their dedication at an awards ceremony.
Adults and children who've helped at the Wolverhampton Muslim Forum (WMF) were honoured with certificates at the special event held on Sunday.
Around 20 to 25 were handed out – with the rest posted to people who couldn't make it – as a way of the charity saying "thank you" for all their work.
Shakeela Asif, a volunteer for the WMF and a member of the core management group at the charity, said: "We've had quite a lot of volunteers and even if people spend an hour of their time, they deserve recognition because we're so grateful.
"This has been going on for over two years and when people give their time they just do it out of the goodness of their heart, and as a charity we thought it would be nice to do something for them. They had no knowledge of it (the ceremony) and they were really shocked by it and the kids were so excited.
"When Covid-19 struck it was quite busy, but it showed you just how much people need this service. Even through the snow and the awful weather, our volunteers would turn up, pack the bags and get items out to those in need – because we didn't want to let anyone down."
Ms Asif said children – during the Covid-19 restrictions – had also chipped in to help with the packing of vital items, allowing them to be picked up and delivered by the adults.
The youngsters also received certificates on Sunday at the charity's base at Elms Resource Centre, on Manby Close, from Mayor of Wolverhampton Councillor Greg Brackenridge.
WMF was handed funding from the National Lottery in October 2020 and used the cash to open a soup kitchen. And later they set up a food bank at the centre, which is still "running strong" due to its volunteers and a partnership with brands Warburtons, Fareshare, Asda and Greggs.
