Foodbanks – Spreading Hope and Christmas Cheer

Dancing carrots, singing hedgehogs, ballerinas on roof tops and magical sisters….. it can only mean one thing; the Christmas adverts have arrived!

Whilst in reality we are a couple of weeks away from Advent, let alone Christmas, lots of us will be thinking about plans for the festive season.

This year is likely to be very different, as we have to navigate social distancing rules around how and where we can meet our friends and loved ones. But there will also be families who have been affected by Covid who have lost loved ones or lost their income and may be close to or in food poverty. This is on top of the myriad of reasons such as relationship breakdowns, zero hours contracts etc that have previously made food banks a necessity for some.

Our Food Banks are asking for donations of Christmas Treats over the next few weeks to help these families to celebrate the Christmas period. They will be creating Christmas hampers which will be safely delivered to those who use the Foodbank. From past years we know that these hampers really make a difference and help to make the time of year special for many who are struggling.

Items for the hampers that can be donated include:

Christmas Puddings – no alcohol

Christmas Cake – no alcohol

Mince Pies – no alcohol

Tinned Ham

Tinned Salmon

Tinned Potatoes

Christmas Crackers

Boxes of biscuits

Crisps, nuts etc

Chocolate treats

Sponge Pudding

Custard

Fruit Juice

Squash

Necessities like toilet roll are also required. Please ensure that donations don’t contain alcohol so that they can be enjoyed by children too.

Items can be dropped off at Diane’s Pantry, Reepham, Lyng Stores, Lyng,  Swannington Church or Pam Smith’s house, 4 Broad Lane, Swannington and in the porch of All Saints’, Weston Longville on Wednesdays.

Please donate items as soon as possible. The hampers are made in the first week or so of December so that they can be delivered in time for Christmas. These donations really do help spread festive cheer and will help give hope in what for many of us has been a really difficult year.