Northampton care home's appeal for help after weekly food delivery only drops off enough for two days

A Northampton care home was left "stunned" today when a weekly food delivery dropped off just four crates out of their usual 30.

It has been a week since Oak Lodge Care Home, in Duston, closed its doors to visitors in a bid to protect its 28 residents from the spread of coronavirus. Staff have already had to go home to self-isolate and residents have been unable to see their families.

But today, staff were left in tears when just four crates of groceries were delivered by Tesco to get their residents through the week.

"We expecting it to not be as much as usual," said activity coordinator Hayley Rixon. "But when it was delivered we could only stand there. Our cook was almost in tears. A lot of us had a good cry.

"We normally receive 38 bottles of four-pint milk. We had none. We didn't have pasta, bread, eggs - just everyday staples.

"It's not that we don't have any food - but these are people who have worked all their lives and deserve to have more choices.

"A lot of our staff have already been reaching into their own pockets to help residents this week. But now it just makes me worry - what will happen next week? What about the week after that?"

However, today, the Duston community stepped forward to help Oak Lodge in its time off need.

After an appeal for help, the home has received extra supplies from the Co-Operative on Main Road.

And, after making a post on the Spotted Duston Facebook page, members of the public have already called into the home or arrived at their door to offer as much as they can spare.

Oak Lodge's home administrator Jane Pickett told the Chronicle & Echo: "Already we've had a woman come to the door today with a packet of pasta and some tinned food. She said 'this is as much as I can spare'. It makes me so grateful.

"The Co-Operative on Main Road has been wonderful too. The manager there, Dean, told us straight-away he would offer as much as he could and has even put aside some eggs for delivery tomorrow.

"Thank you to the people who have come forward today. If there's ever a way we can repay you in the future we will try."

It comes after an open letter was signed by supermarkets giants Tesco, Sainsburys and Asda this week asking for calm from the public and not to panic buy.

The letter read that supermarket staff were "working day and night to keep the nation fed... but we need your help too".