Over the last week, local businesses and organisations have come together to pack food hampers for 2,000 local families in need. Local charity Feed The Hungry, in partnership with Coventry City Council and Groundwork, have created the food hampers that include recipe cards which create a fun and invaluable activity for children at Christmas. The parcels, which include kitchen cupboard essentials and fresh fruit and vegetables will teach children life-long cooking skills and enable families to come together to prepare and enjoy food to celebrate the festive season.
There has been unprecedented support from across the city with local schools, businesses and organisations coming together and donning Christmas hats to assemble the hampers. The festive food pack has taken place at The Halo Centre – home of both Coventry Foodbank and Feed The Hungry and has seen volunteers from NHS Open Space Coventry Building Society, Jaguar Land Rover, University of Warwick Business School, Bishop Ullathorne Sixth Form School and St Mary’s church youth group.
Local charity, Groundwork, have been commissioned by Coventry City Council to produce the recipe cards for the hampers. Each family will receive ingredients to prepare meals such as chilli con carne, tuna pasta bake, a winter soup, fruit crumble and shortbread biscuits along with the recipes. With over a quarter (26%) of children in Coventry are living in poverty, this support provides an opportunity for families to celebrate and enjoy the festive season.
Debbie Isitt, director of the Nativity films and patron of Feed The Hungry, says “The magic and wonder of Christmas are often only truly appreciated through the eyes of children. No parent should face the heartbreak of not being able to give their child the Christmas they have been hoping for. After the hardships of this year, the food parcels and recipe cards Feed The Hungry are providing with Coventry City Council aren’t just about putting a meal on the table, they are about bringing families together to prepare a meal and seeing children’s eyes light up with the joy of Christmas.”
From Monday 13th December the parcels will be distributed to foodbank and community centres across the city Families who have registered with the City Council to receive a hamper will be able to collect their parcels at different times and days across the city between the 14th - 17th December.
Gavin Kibble, Regional Operations Director of Feed The Hungry says, “We have partnered with Coventry City Council a number of times to provide food for those struggling across the city but we wanted this Christmas to be different. We wanted to produce a food hamper that would be both a lot of fun and equip children with important skills for the future. Seeing the incredible local schools and businesses get behind this vision has been a real testament to the spirit and generosity of the city.”
To find out more, or offer your time to volunteer with Feed The Hungry to support more families in need, please visit: feedthehungry.org.uk/volunteering