As families open their Advent calendars, Southern Co-Op is asking whether you could give as well as receive this year.
Southern Co-op, which supports nearly 50 food banks at its stores across the south of England, is hosting a reverse Christmas Advent calendar starting on 1st December. Up to 24th December, customers will be asked to consider donating a specific item of food or drink which will get taken to the local food bank.
As the demand for food banks has increased considerably during the pandemic, the donated goods will all help someone in need this winter.
Holly Bramble, Community and Campaign Co-ordinator at Southern Co-op, said:
“We want to help as many families as possible so have launched this fun and affordable way for customers, colleagues and members to get involved.
“A few weeks ago we launched a new funding pot, Feed a Family Fund, for local food banks to get small grants to help them cover the costs of essentials such as replacement equipment.
“We know not everyone can afford to donate money so this is another way people can help local families and individuals who have fallen on hard times.
“We trialled the reverse Advent calendar at our head office last year and lots of colleagues got involved so hopefully this will build on the great community spirit we have seen throughout 2020.”
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Each day will have a different suggested item to donate and include laundry detergent, sauces, pasta, rice, toiletries, biscuits, nuts, tinned fish and meat, jam, breakfast cereal, tea, coffee, tinned desserts, long life juice, instant mashed potatoes, tinned fruit and vegetables, squash and long life milk.
On the Isle of Wight, collection points are being held at Mill Hill Road in Cowes, Afton Road in Freshwater, West Street in Ryde and Regent Street, Shanklin.
To find out more about the reverse Advent calendar, visit www.thesouthernco-operative.co.uk/love-your-neighbourhood/.
Why can’t Oxfam or UNICEF supply food to our near starving? Surely they don’t ONLY do non white needy?
We can’t pay our taxes for our own to be given support, and then give to all these charities as well.
Perhaps we ought to limit the numbers coming into the UK now we are too poor to feed our own properly now. Seems a coincidence that since masse newcomers have filled the UK that we now cannot house, feed and find jobs for our own people anymore.
MP’s should address ‘that’ issue first and foremost or otherwise this problem will only grow ever worse as it always does in their own lands
how about a “no sponging day” where none of us get asked to hand over money to pay for charity workers salaries.
Hardly a coincidence indeed that wherever certain people are allowed to settle en-masse the same ‘issues’ which they left behind soon follow and spread to those unfortunate enough to live in close proximity.
yes amanda – and the do gooders are out in force justifying it – then those of us who have the means, move elsewhere and the tax base disintegrates. Then the do gooders move as well and start all over again in another pristine area, whilst blaming everyone else for the mess they created with their hand wringing, lefty, do gooder, doors open, handout policies.
also – I have lived in other countries and seen how things are – those with cash, live in fully gated, armed security patrolled zones, whilst the rest are living in dumps and shacks, with no police and no access to schools or healthcare.
The divisions between haves and have not is clear as day and it will be the same here soon enough on the same scale.
as for integration – forget it, a lefty dream, that never happens. in other countries, everyone sticks to their own kind on the whole and lives with their own kind.