The Prince and Princess of Wales have generously donated to a food bank targeted by thieves.
The Pecan foodbank in Peckham, South London, was hit at the weekend by shameless criminals who raided the warehouse and stole £3,000 worth of food and hygiene products, leaving hundreds of local families struggling.
But Catherine and William stepped in to lend a helping hand with a donation.
Thanking the royal couple on X, a spokesman for the foodbank said: ‘All at Pecan have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from across society.’
Pecan’s team have reportedly been ‘busting a gut’ to think of ways to fundraise and replenish the lost stock.
Thankfully charity bosses confirmed that ‘food stocks are being replenished now’ thanks to the generosity of the Waleses and the general public.
The Prince and Princess of Wales donated to a foodbank in south east London that was targeted by thieves over the weekend
Pecan Foodbank, located on Peckham High Street, had £3,000 worth of stock stolen from its warehouse on Sunday evening
Pecan foodbank, located on Peckham High Street in south east London, supports around 10 households each week with emergency food parcels.
Their vision is a ‘Southwark without the need for food banks and where everyone can afford the essentials.
But the foodbank was ruthlessly targeted by thieves on Sunday morning.
Pecan foodbank’s chief executive Peter Edwards confirmed that £3,000 worth of stock was taken, including a work laptop.
Mr Edwards told the BBC: ‘It’s had a devastating impact and it hits the most vulnerable people in our community.
‘We’re all emotionally invested in the services we provide; we’re only here to help other people so it’s a hammer blow when something like this happens.’
He said the team was ‘working very hard’ to make sure none of their clients went without food parcels this week.
‘We’ve got enough in house now to keep serving people in need, but it’s important that we continue to fundraise on an urgent scale,’ he said.
The stolen goods had a ‘substantial impact’ on the local people reliant on the foodbank for their weekly meals, Shadid Mughal, head of food services at Pecan, told the BBC.
He said: ‘The first thing they saw was that the shutter had been lifted and the glass had been broken.
‘The team on Monday felt quite deflated because there’s a lot of hard work that goes into collecting the food.’
CCTV footage showed the gang of thieves wedging open the door to the foodbank and going back and forth ‘for hours’ until the shelves were empty.
The Metropolitan Police confirmed it was called to the building in Peckham on Monday morning following a report of a burglary. No arrests have been made.
The desperate criminal act follows four other break-ins at food banks across the UK over the past 14 months.
A large quantity of cash put aside to by food was stolen from Levisham Foodbank in July 2023 and Inspire Support Services in Redditch was targeted by burglars last month for the third time in the span of one year.