It may be summer but the temperature has dropped in the Keighley Salvation Army headquarters.

A much-needed freezer, which will be used to store bread and other essentials that go into food parcels, has been donated by Sainsbury’s.

Staff at the Keighley store raised money for the freezer as part of the supermarket’s commitment to support the Salvation Army until June 2011 as its charity of the year.

Customers and staff also contributed towards raising a pot of £420 for the Salvation Army from buckets stationed at checkouts.

Chris Bown, development manager for Keighley Salvation Army, said the freezer — which cost £150 from Appliances Direct, on Low Street, Keighley — was a “vital asset”.

She said: “We buy food for parcels in bulk and need somewhere to store them. The other freezer packed in so we desperately needed a new one.

“The money raised will also go towards buying items for the food parcels. We deal with a lot of families who can’t afford to feed themselves in Keighley — there are a lot of people unemployed and single parents where benefits just won’t cover it.

“It is a very busy period at the moment.”

Sainsbury’s general store manager Paul Coulson said staff had chosen the Salvation Army as their charity because it covered such a wide range of needs across a wide range of local people.

l The Sainsbury’s Keighley store is currently calling on members of the public to bring in their old mobile phone chargers as part of a recycling drive for “Make A Difference” day.