Derby Food 4 Thought Alliance (DF4TA) has been awarded £1,335 from Electrical Safety First’s Electrical Safety Fund. The money will help DF4TA safety test more donated fridges, freezers and fridge freezers so they can be rehomed quickly and safely with local people who are rebuilding their lives after crisis.
The grant will fund training for five volunteers from Jericho House Derby to become competent appliance testers. This will increase capacity within DF4TA’s Furniture and Electrical Project, helping the charity test and rehome essential cooling appliances for households who would otherwise go without.
For many Derby households referred to DF4TA after homelessness, domestic abuse, hospital discharge or other crises, a safe, working fridge or freezer can be the difference between getting back on track or falling further behind. By increasing the project’s testing capacity, DF4TA will be able to provide more safe, reliable fridges and freezers at very low cost (typically £20–£30) to people who cannot afford them.
Derby Food 4 Thought Alliance, which is based in Derby, expects the project will directly benefit around 100 households (approximately 200 people) through the supply of safety-checked appliances, while also sharing practical electrical safety information through DF4TA’s networks of referral partners, volunteers, supporters and local businesses.
Ann Mills, Furniture and Electrical Project Coordinator at DF4TA, said: “A safe fridge or freezer can be the difference between a family getting back on their feet or going without the basics. This funding means we can safety-test more donated fridges, freezers and fridge freezers here in Derby.”
