COMMUNITY spirit in Okehampton has been praised after residents, businesses and local organisations stepped forward to help those in crisis following the redundancies at PoleStar Foods.

Okehampton Foodbank, a charity run by the Baptist Church, has been at the heart of the community's response and has been overwhelmed with donations.

The Foodbank is now appealing for more people to come forward and benefit from its service.

Andrew Morgan from the Foodbank said: 'We have been absolutely overwhelmed at the support and generosity of the community. The response has been typical of the wonderful community spirit that exists in Okehampton.

'We are now desperately trying to get the message out to people that we are here to help them. We are appealing to people affected at PoleStar, but also to anyone else in trouble in our community.

'This service isn't just for people who have absolutely no money. If you are in crisis and only have a little money left, come to us for food, and you can use your money to pay bills, to stop you going into debt.

'There's no need to be ashamed to come to us. These people have done nothing wrong, they are in this situation through absolutely no fault of their own, and we are here to help, not judge.'

Karl Jansz, a former employee of PoleStar Foods said: 'I was totally amazed by the kindness and generosity of the Baptist Church and all the people in the town and surrounding area who have donated food.

'When I have work again, I want to repay this brilliant service and the people of Okehampton by donating to the Foodbank so they can help other people in their time of need.'

One donor to the Foodbank said: 'Whatever people are going through at the moment, thinking that everything is against them, this service will show them that there are people who care and want to help.'

Local businesses and organisations have also been pledging support to help those affected by the job losses. The Gilead Foundation has pledged all proceeds from its live music event on February 25, and local churches have pledged emotional and spiritual support, as well as helping the Foodbank more directly.

Okehampton Lions Club has taken a leading role in supporting the Foodbank, with volunteers collecting donations outside the Co-operative supermarket on Saturday, filling around 50 large boxes with food.

Okehampton Lions president Alan King said: 'We are a voluntary service organisation, and situations like this are what Lions are made for really, in terms of responding to community need and supporting local people.

'We couldn't have done this without the incredible generosity of the people who were out shopping on Saturday and donated to the cause.'

Co-operative deputy manager Elaine Williams said: 'We still have collection boxes in store, and people are continuing to be incredibly generous.

'We're also providing a discount card for the Lions to use to make purchases for the Foodbank, and are hoping to be able to pledge a significant financial donation to the Foodbank from the Co-operative.

'The people made redundant from PoleStar are our customers.?We really want to support the people who have always supported us.'

Waitrose has supported the Foodbank from the beginning. Jean Durrant from the supermarket said: 'We originally kitted out the Foodbank store room with shelves and storage crates, and when we were contacted about collections, we were more than happy to help out.

'This project is a great example of the community spirit we want to be a part of.'

Okehampton College has held a non-uniform day, which it says will allow it to make regular donations to the Foodbank over the coming months, enabling the charity to continue to support those in need.

Staff at the college are also offering courses on CV and cover letter writing, mathematics, English, and ICT, as well as helping with mock interviews.

Principal Daryll Chapman said: 'We want to be working with the community on this. The community has been very good to the college over the years, and we would like to think the college is also seen as being good for the community.'

The Foodbank service is urging people to continue donating food over the coming months to help the service continue to provide support to those who need it. Donations can be taken to OK Leisure in Fore Street, Okehampton.

Support also came from further afield, with residents in Chagford donating many crates of food to the Foodbank.