Local stores join forces for Gift A Gift Card Appeal

Nine SPAR and EUROSPAR stores throughout Holywood, Bangor, Ballyholme and Newtownards in Northern Ireland have raised money in aid of the local food bank Storehouse North Down.

The stores raised money for the Gift A Gift Card Appeal, where for every £10 raised, a £10 One4All gift card will be donated to the organisation.

All nine stores had collections while SPAR Abbeyhill in Bangor also ran an in-store raffle with exciting prizes from local businesses for shoppers, including a luxury hamper from Denman International, and vouchers for Streamvale Farm, DV8 and Dundonald International Ice Bowl.

The stores raised an amazing total of £4,028.81, resulting in 402 £10 One4All gift cards being donated to the food bank and the remainder of the money raised was spent on other essential items.

The stores and teams who raised the money with their shoppers were SPAR Torgrange, Holywood; SPAR Ballyholme, SPAR Donaghadee Road and SPAR Movilla in Newtownards while in Bangor, five stores took part: SPAR Belfast Road, SPAR Abbeyhill, EUROSPAR Rathgael Road, EUROSPAR Ashbury and EUROSPAR Gransha.

“The vouchers will be placed in Christmas Hampers which are being given out throughout December and to receive over 400 of them from the stores is an amazing help! It gives those local families who use our services that autonomy to buy what they need, when they need it. We want to thank the teams from all nine stores and their shoppers for this very generous donation,” Valerie Miskimmon, co-manager and a volunteer at Storehouse North Down food bank, said.

Mark Eatwell, Post Office manager and community representative at SPAR Abbeyhill in Bangor, who organised the appeal, commented: “It was great to get all these local stores together to help raise as much as we could for the food bank.

“Storehouse North Down is doing such important work and helping so many families through difficult times in our local communities, so we wanted to lend a helping hand for the Christmas period. On behalf of all stores, I want to thank our generous shoppers who donated to such a great cause, and those local businesses who got behind Abbeyhill’s raffle, we couldn’t have done it without them.”