A FOOD company is giving up to 1,000 pints of milk a year to young homeless people.

Arla Foods of Brookhouse Lane, Blackburn, has donated the milk through the GTech/Europrint employee involvement scheme which is based at the Blackburn Partnership, Richmond Terrace.

A quantity of milk was delivered to the THOMAS Drop in Centre on France Street, and to Night Safe, which works with homeless youngsters throughout the borough and provides a three-night stay hostel in the town centre.

The milk will also be given to those attending Night Safe's life skills workshops, where they learn about coping with everyday situations. Employee involvement manager Wendy Hobson said: "We try to meet the needs and wants of charitable groups by attracting private sector involvement."

Linda Sharratt, re-settlement manager for Nightsafe said: "We couldn't survive without donations like this. We are a charitable organisation and we rely on charitable donations. We may have ten young people through the hostel in a week who will get through a lot of milk and it all needs paying for. It is essential."

If any groups or organisations would like to get involved in the scheme they can contact Wendy on 01254 661166.