- Cadent gas engineers across Birmingham chip in for a second time to help good causes in the West Midlands
- Staff donate two van-loads of much-needed groceries to the Acorns Black Country Children’s Hospice and Erdington Foodbank
- Staff donate even more second time around
Caring gas engineers in Birmingham have dug deep for a second time during the Covid-19 pandemic to help worthy causes in the West Midlands – and donated even more food and money.
When Habib Rehman, an emergency engineer for West Midlands gas distributor Cadent, launched an S.O.S for food donations for the Acorns Black Country Children’s Hospice and Erdington Food Bank, colleagues across Birmingham were quick to respond.
Within just a week, nearly 40 staff had responded, coming up with two vanloads of food and over £400 in cash donations, after emptying their kitchen cupboards and their wallets. A delighted Habib, assisted by manager John Capper, delivered the much-needed grocery haul to the hospice and the foodbank.
This is the second foodbank appeal Habib, a Cadent First Call Operative from Erdington, has launched since the Covid-19 pandemic gripped the country. His first collection saw colleagues across the city donate a van-load of food and £90 in cash for the Narthex Sparkhill Foodbank.
He said: “I’m just overwhelmed by everyone’s generosity for the second time. I’d been reading about how foodbanks and other community organisations were really struggling during the pandemic, with more people needing their services but fewer donations coming in.
“I just wanted to help and I am so grateful to my colleagues for their generosity. The Acorns Hospice and the Foodbank really appreciated the donations. It’s good to know that we’re helping those most in need at this difficult time.”
Habib and his colleagues are among Cadent’s force of emergency and repair engineers, continuing to work in the community to keep West Midlands residents safe. As key workers, they deal with gas escapes and deadly carbon monoxide leaks and carry out essential maintenance and repairs on the region’s gas network.
Kate Jones, Cadent’s Director of West Midlands Network, said: “I’m so proud of Habib and all our colleagues across Birmingham. It’s typical of the response of our staff to the Covid-19 pandemic – they have been quick to help the most vulnerable.
“We know that people rely on us to keep them warm and safe and, as key workers, our staff are on the frontline doing just that. We will continue to deal with gas escapes and deadly carbon monoxide.
“However, we are taking additional precautions to keep our customers and our staff safe, especially if we have to go into people’s homes. You can find out more on our website at
https://cadentgas.com/coronavirus.”
ENDS