'Bean Man' is coming for you!

A BOATER moored at Mercia Marina has been dressed as a bean can to collect as many donations as possible for South Derbyshire CVS (Comunity Voluntary Support) food bank appeal.

This supports individuals and families facing food insecurity in the community.

Essential groceries

With the rising cost of living and increasing demand, the food bank provides essential groceries to those in need, ensuring no one goes hungry. Donations of non-perishable food items, toiletries, and monetary contributions are urgently needed to keep the shelves stocked.

Neil Potter of Mercia Marina has frequently collected donations in Willington and Findern armed with the cart that he uses to do voluntary litter picking.

Neil had the idea to boost collection success by taking on persona of ‘Bean Man’ and donned a Heinz Beans suit to be instantly recognisable.

In Heinz-sight, [Not our corny joke!] it’s clear that Neil’s creative approach helped drive more donations than ever. Targeting the busy Willington annual carnival, Bean Man stacked up more than £500 of food donations. That’s more than the average
number of beans in a can of Heinz.

Need a bigger van

It took several people to load the donations into the CVS van as there was simply so much which of course was fabulous for the charity. The volunteer collecting for South Derbyshire CVS was gobsmacked, stating ‘we’re going to need a bigger van’.

Adrian Moore from South Derbyshire CVS explained:

“Neil is the Heinz Hero with his tremendous efforts and quirky costume. He has worked so hard, and his character makes him instantly recognisable, bringing out generosity from all those he encountered as he travelled street to street to collect for this worthy cause. We literally filled a van all the donations which is incredible."