Northampton pub's pandemic food bank becomes registered charity offering several services to help community

A new local charity has been launched on the back of a landlady using her closed pub as a food bank during lockdown.

Teresa McCarthy-Dixon, who has run the Swan and Helmet in Abington for 14 years, always wanted to be in charge of an organisation that helps the community in many ways.

But with two young children and a popular pub to run, there was little time, until the pandemic hit.

During the height of the lockdown the demand for Teresa’s food bank was huge and hundreds of food parcels were delivered to families across the town.The pub has reopened, but Teresa is keen to carry on lending a helping hand in anyway she can, so the food bank has evolved and has now become a registered charity.

Named the McCarthy Dixon Foundation, the charity helps people who suffer from some kind of hardship with gardening, home makeovers, affordable haircuts, cookery lessons and so much more.

Teresa said: “The Swan and Helmet has always been a community pub. We’re always doing things for the community and I’ve always been a fundraiser.

“Until I started the food bank, I didn’t realise the need was so great and I just thought I can help so many more people if I have a charity status, as people will take it more seriously.

“We want to be a down to earth, approachable, friendly charity and we want to be there for the whole community.”

Since lockdown has eased and the pub has reopened, Teresa has noticed a dip in demand for the food bank, so has reduced that service.

Instead, while the pub is closed until 4pm, the landlady is using the space for cookery lessons for people who do not know how to make basic meals, as well as affordable haircuts priced between £6 and £8.

Since the launch of the charity earlier this month, the team of volunteers have also tended to 22 gardens for people who cannot do it themselves, as well as a number of home improvement projects.

The charity has also sourced proper beds, fridges and other important household items for people who were living without them.

Teresa added: “We’ve had five people without a fridge. You just don’t think that happens in this day and age.

“But we managed to get them all a fridge just from people donating their spares. That’s how good the community is.

“It’s all just normal things that are sometimes just not thought about.

“Everything we do is to enhance people’s lives. Any way we can help them, we will.

“We’re here to help everyone we possibly can in any way we can.

“I feel like I work 24 hours a day but I can see how happy it makes people and it’s for the good of the community that feels like it has become a big extended family.”

Teresa is also planning to open a community larder in the pub later this year to provide local people with low cost food, as well as a ‘doorstep buddies’ scheme whereby volunteers will have a chat with those who live alone and a weekly group that will focus on wellbeing, once it is safe to do so.

However, to do this, the charity relies on monetary donations as well as hard working volunteers giving up their time.

“We’re always looking for more people to donate a few hours of their time,” Teresa continued.

“Everyone has busy lives, but if everyone can give us two Saturday mornings or two afternoons a year, imagine what we could do for the community.”

To get involved by donating time, products, funds or if you would like a collection box for the charity, visit the McCarthy Dixon Foundation website.

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