The Cambridge Building Society Cost of Living Crisis Fund will work in partnership with Cambridgeshire Community Foundation to distribute the money via local charities already working with families and individuals who need it most.
The building society and Cambridgeshire Community Foundation have together provided £100,000 to help local households most affected by increased costs over the winter months.
The Fund will support communities in the society’s heartland across the city, South Cambridgeshire and Ely, with food, fuel and items to help people be warm at home, such as bedding, white goods, curtains and carpets.
The funds will be distributed to those most in need via local charity partners, including Cambridge Aid, Citizen’s Advice Rural Cambs and others.
Cambridgeshire Community Foundation already administers The Cambridge Building Society Community Fund, which was established in 2020 and has already generated more than £660,000. The Fund awards grants to local voluntary and community groups that deliver homes and housing projects.
The Cambridge’s CEO, Peter Burrows, said: “We just couldn’t sit by and watch local people worry about having enough food and warmth over the winter, so we set up this Cost of Living Crisis Fund in partnership with Cambridgeshire Community Foundation to help ease some of those problems.
“Our existing Community Fund does tremendous good in helping address local homes and housing issues, but we realised that in these times of hardship we needed to do something extra, and quickly.
“With the rising cost of living, more and more people are worried about feeding themselves and their families and keeping warm this winter. We hope this money will help the relevant charities provide the help and support people really need at a time they really need it.”
Cambridgeshire Community Foundation’s CEO, Michael O’Toole, said: “The launch of the Fund is timely considering the added pressures on people due to the cost of living crisis.
“This is really starting to bite, and we know it is going to be an extremely difficult winter for many people, especially the most vulnerable in our communities. I am proud that Cambridgeshire Community Foundation, in partnership with The Cambridge Building Society is able to help those who need it most.”
The Cambridge Building Society Cost of Living Crisis Fund is expected to run until the end of March.
Image: CEO, Peter Burrows
