MBE For Harborough Foodbank Volunteer
Written by HFM News on 4th January 2021
The chairperson of Market Harborough’s Jubilee Foodbank has been awarded an MBE in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours List, for her services to the community during the Covid-19 Response.
Liz Mills was awarded the honour ‘for services to the community in Market Harborough, Leicestershire, particularly during the Covid-19 response, which has seen greater demand on the voluntary service, which relies on donations from the public.
Liz first joined the foodbank in 2016, starting by packing food parcels before becoming a member of the committee.
She became chairperson in 2019 and fulfils her duties alongside working as an English teacher at Guilsborough Academy in Northamptonshire.
Liz told Hfm she was shocked and surprised when she heard about the MBE and wants it to be in recognition of her dedicated team of 45 volunteers:
Liz Mills at the Jubilee Foodbank in Market Harborough
In the nomination, Liz was commended in particular for her work training volunteers out of hours as well as keeping the foodbank open during the unique and difficult challenges posed by the pandemic, ensuring the implementation of rigorous health and safety procedures to keep volunteers safe and for working closely with Harborough District Council.
The foodbank currently supports approximately 400 households in food poverty in Market Harborough and surrounding villages and provided around 30,000 meals in 2020.
In addition to the work of Liz and the team of volunteers, Harborough District Council and Voluntary Action South Leicestershire have worked closely with the foodbank to deliver parcels due to the closure of the referral agencies during the pandemic.
Paul Hebborn from Kibworth has been handed a British Empire Medal for his work as an emergency response officer for the British Red Cross in Northamptonshire during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Using skills from the Red Cross and those gained as a fire station officer, Paul managed and guided local volunteers to go shopping, pack food parcels, deliver medication and leaflets, as well as arranging welfare checks on the most vulnerable members of his community.
