Middlesbrough foodbank launches free travel scheme

Middlesbrough Foodbank visitors can now benefit from travel vouchers courtesy of Stagecoach Credit: Middlesbrough Council

Stagecoach North East has joined forces with with Middlesbrough Foodbank to launch a free travel project.

The initiative offers free bus journeys following an approach from a local Middlesbrough Councillor.

The local bus operator has shown its support for the cause by creating a bespoke voucher scheme for its services across the Tees Valley, to help assist people who visit the centres with their travel costs.

The voucher, which can be exchanged on all Stagecoach buses in Teesside and Hartlepool, allows anyone who uses the foodbank service in Middlesbrough to travel on a single journey from its seven food bank collection centres throughout Middlesbrough.

Residents who visit the community foodbank can then benefit from a free journey home with their groceries or can travel further afield to places in and around Stockton, Middlesbrough and Hartlepool.

The foodbank helps people suffering financial hardship, providing emergency food parcels and putting people in touch with organisations which can provide long-term solutions.

Cllr Matthew Storey, Middlesbrough Councillor for Central Ward, said:

Stagecoach joins forces with Middlesbrough Foodbank to offer free travel for user Credit: Middlesbrough Council

Middlesbrough Foodbank project manager Soroush Sadeghzadeh believes it is the first service of its kind in the area:

Nathan Stanislawski, Operations Manager at Stagecoach North East’s Teesside depot, said: