Our story

Our mission is simple, to bring community to people in need.

About

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How it started

The McCarthy-Dixon Foundation was established in March 2020, during the early days of the first COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.

Our founder, Teresa McCarthy-Dixon, recognised the increasing hardship affecting the local community and initially set up ‘The Swan and Helmet Food Bank’ in response. This emergency service operated from Teresa’s pub, where essential food parcels were distributed to those in need. However, Teresa and the ever-growing team of volunteers quickly recognised far broader issues affecting the people they were supporting, from isolation, grief, and deteriorating mental health, to long-standing financial difficulty and poor living conditions.

In order to combat this, The McCarthy-Dixon Foundation gained official charitable status in July 2020, allowing us to expand our services. We first launched the Monday Club and Doorstep Buddies service, both aimed at addressing loneliness and providing regular social engagement for vulnerable individuals. Over time, TMDF has grown into a vital support network, helping thousands of individuals through food parcels, social clubs, advice services, and more.

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