Coventry comes together to pack festive food hampers for 2,000 families in need this Christmas - The Coventry Observer

Coventry comes together to pack festive food hampers for 2,000 families in need this Christmas

Coventry Editorial 1st Dec, 2021   0

LOCAL businesses and organisations across Coventry have come together this week to pack food hampers for 2,000 families in need this Christmas.

Charity Feed The Hungry is working in partnership with Coventry City Council and Groundwork to put together the parcels, which include kitchen cupboard essentials, along with fresh fruit and vegetables.

As well as food items, recipe cards are included to give children fun activities to help teach them life-long cooking skills.

It is hoped families will come together to prepare and enjoy their food together over the festive season.




The campaign has received unprecedented support from across the city with schools, businesses and organisations joining forces and putting on their Christmas hats as they assemble the hampers.

The festive food pack is taking place in The Halo Centre – home of both Coventry Foodbank and Feed The Hungry – and includes 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 has 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.

Statistics show 26 per cent of children in Coventry are living in poverty,

Debbie Isitt, director of the Nativity films and Feed The Hungry patron, said: “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.”

Parcels will be distributed to the foodbank and community centres from December 13.

Families which 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 December 14 and 17.

Gavin Kibble, Feed The Hungry’s regional operations director, said: “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.”

Visit feedthehungry.org.uk/volunteering to find out more and to volunteer with Feed The Hungry.

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