The Exeter Dental Centre is Foodbank point

The Exeter Dental Centre has set up a food bank donation point, for the festive period, at the city centre dental practice.

Food banks have reported rapid rises in usage this year as individuals, couples and families are pushed to financial breaking point.

The Exeter Dental Centre has set up the donation point for its patients, staff and the public to drop food parcels of non-perishable items, before delivering it to The Mint Methodist Church, the current home of the Exeter Foodbank, in time for Christmas.

Dental nurse Sarah-Jane Lovejoy is in charge of the food bank collection and said: “I’m always keen to help those who are worse off than us, and so I suggested the food bank collection to some of my colleagues and we decided to do it for Christmas.

“We are accepting food donations from anyone who wants to drop something into the practice and then we will deliver it all to the Exeter Foodbank. The staff has started donating already and we’ve been letting patients know that we are taking food donations, but we would also like to let our business neighbours and the residents of Exeter know that they can use us a donation point too.”

Principal dentist and practice owner Mike Hesketh said: “We are really proud to help, in even a small way, such a worthy cause as the Exeter Foodbank – which is a much-used resource in the city.”

You can donate non-perishable food items 7 days a week by dropping them into reception at The Exeter Dental Centre, located on Castle Street, before December 18th 2013. Call 01392 272350 for more information.