Coventry Foodbank’s new Christmas song hopes to encourage locals to donate both food and money to the foodbank this Christmas, helping to serve many who are struggling. The song is a re-written version of the classic Christmas carol ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’, edited and produced by the staff and volunteers at Coventry Foodbank. The song, which will be performed by volunteers from across all Coventry Foodbank sites in the city, has been released in segments through social media across the first twelve days of December, and culminated today in the full video and audio track being released today.
The song, which has been rephrased using the line “On the X day of Christmas my foodbank had from me”, describes different items that could be donated to foodbanks this Christmas. In response to the one million 8–17-year-olds and their families who needed food from a foodbank over Christmas in 2020, the song hopes to encourage locals to remember those in need this Christmas by offering a monthly financial gift to the foodbank’s “Life Giver” scheme which can provide a family of four an emergency food parcel worth £30 through a £10 donation. Throughout November, Coventry Foodbank visited and filmed over 100 volunteers from across the 14 foodbank centres in Coventry, including local churches and organisations in the city singing the rewritten lines.
Gavin Kibble MBE, principal songwriter behind the new lyrics and Founder of Coventry Foodbank says, “The idea behind the song is to celebrate the volunteers that work tirelessly across our city serving those in need, and also to encourage the general public to consider giving to the foodbank this Christmas. The pandemic has made us realise the importance of working together for the good of our city, and I believe this song and video are a celebration of exactly that. We had a great deal of fun involving many food hubs and centres across the city to produce The Twelve Days of Christmas and I think that is very evident in the final result.”
This year Coventry Foodbank celebrated their 10 year anniversary and is now one of the largest foodbanks in the UK. Since their inception, through 14 citywide food distribution centres, the foodbank has received nearly £3 million worth of food donations: creating food parcels for over 200,000 local individuals and families (including 80,000 children). During the pandemic, the foodbank saw a 20% increase in the number of people needing help, and Christmas remains one of the foodbank’s busiest seasons.
Gavin continues, “We’re so grateful for the support the foodbank has received over the last year, but we know that many families in Coventry find Christmas time a real struggle, and we are expecting a busy Christmas from those families who need extra help. We are calling for financial donations to support the foodbank’s ongoing effort to tackle food poverty in our city. What might seem a small offering enables the foodbank to pack and distribute food parcels for families in the most need. If anyone wishes to also donate any non-perishable items, festive treats, or toiletries, you can do so at all major supermarkets within the city. We hope that through the small offer of food parcels, families struggling in Coventry this Christmas will have a better opportunity to enjoy the festive period.”
To listen to the song and become a Life Giver this Christmas, please visit: coventryfoodbank.org.uk/12days/