Feed a Family This Christmas: Actor Neil Morrissey is latest star to back Express & Star appeal

The Stafford-born actor and comedian thanked everyone who has donated so far for their generosity.

You can bring your Feed A Family This Christmas donations to our Express & Star offices in Wolverhampton, Cannock and Stourbridge.

These are:

• Express & Star Wolverhampton head office: 51-53 Queen Street, Wolverhampton WV1 1ES

• Express & Star Cannock/Walsall office: Queen Square, Cannock WS11 1EA

• Express & Star Stourbridge office: 3 Market Street, Stourbridge DY8 1AB

We also have drop-off boxes for your donations at:

• Waitrose Wolverhampton, Penn Road, Wolverhampton WV2 4NJ.

• The Midcounties Co-operative Food Store Codsall - 28-32 Wood Lane/Bakers Way, Codsall WV8 1DB. Donations dropped off at this shop will be given to The Well – The Home of Wolverhampton Food Bank.

If your business would like to host a donation box please contact Heather Large on 01902 319501 or email heather.large@expressandstar.co.uk

He also spoke about why it's important to help those in need during the message recorded at his pub the Plume of Feathers in Barlaston.

Addressing everyone who has contributed to the appeal so far, the 54-year-old said: "I want to thank you so much for filling a food bank and feeding a family.

"Lots of people can't get food this Christmas - thank you for helping them ."

Mr Morrissey, who has also appeared in Waterloo Road and Line of Duty and is the voice of Bob the Builder, is the latest well-known face to back our appeal.

Wolves favourites Steve Bull and Mel Eves have also urged people to get behind the campaign along with Labour's deputy leader and West Bromwich East MP Tom Watson and Dudley North MP Ian Austin.

Mr Eves said: "Food banks do a wonderful job, so it's fantastic that we can help them further by providing this."

Mr Austin said: "I know Black Country people are the most generous in Britain, and I know they'll rally round to back this great campaign."

More than 1,200 items have already been donated to the Express & Star's Feed A Family This Christmas appeal after it was launched just a week ago.

We've been overwhelmed by the kindness of people across the Black Country and Staffordshire who have been digging deep to support this very worthy cause.

Donations of festive treats and other food have been flooding in. Every item we receive will go towards helping families to put a much-needed meal on the table.

The appeal will run until December 14 as we want to provide as many people as possible with enough supplies to keep them going through the festive period.

Already we've had a huge donation of 730 items of food from Lichfield Food Bank, which has been so well-supported that bosses decided to share the wealth and help people further afield by donating surplus stock to our appeal.

Members of the 8th Wolverhampton Scout group donated 12 tins of spaghetti, seven cartons of long-life milk, six tins of hotdogs, four jars of jam, two large tins of fruit cocktail, a packet of biscuits and a jar of mustard.

Items handed in at our head office drop-off point include in excess of 60 tins of vegetables, beans, spaghetti and fish.

Dozens of packets of biscuits, sweets and cereal have been donated, along with boxes of chocolates, sugar, coffee and hot chocolate. Kitchen staples, such have rice, pasta, long-life milk and fruit juice, make up the rest of the food items.

We've also received more than 40 mixed toiletries, including shower gel, soap and hand gel.

Meanwhile, shoppers have played their part by donating dozens of items at The Co-operative stores in Sedgley and Codsall, as well as helping to fill a trolley at Waitrose, Wolverhampton.

At Waitrose one trolley has already been filled with more than 180 different items including boxes of mince pies and essentials such as pasta, rice and juice.

There was also a donation of hand-knitted hats which we will be handing over to Wolverhampton's Good Shepherd Ministry.

The scheme is proving so popular that extra trolleys have been put on the shop floor so people can continue to donate goods. Other businesses are also doing their bit by hosting donation boxes on their premises for workers to drop-off contributions. Inspired Gaming Group in Showell Road, Wolverhampton, and Guardian Locks and Engineering, Willenhall, are both helping.

Deputy editor Diane Davies said: "We are delighted with the amazing response to our campaign and we are very grateful to everyone who has contributed so far.

"Every donation, big or small, is welcome and will really make a big difference to families this Christmas, so please keep them coming."

The aim of the Feed A Family This Christmas appeal is to support food banks and other charitable organisations by providing vital supplies to those people in the community who need them the most.

The good causes being supported are The Well (The home of Wolverhampton Food Bank), the Good Shepherd Ministry, based in Wolverhampton, the Black Country Food Bank, which has centres across Dudley, Sandwell and Walsall, Smethwick Food Bank, Walsall North Food Bank and Cannock and District Food Bank.

The appeal will also support the Haven, which provides both support services to women and children who are affected by domestic violence and homelessness.

They want donations of long-life milk, breakfast cereal, noodle pots,soup, fruit juice, fruit squash, pasta and cooking sauces, rice and sponge puddings, tinned tomatoes, tinned vegetables, tinned meat and meals such a tinned fish, tinned fruit, pasta, rice, cous, cous, spaghetti hoops, instant potato, tea bags, coffee, peanut butter, jam, sugar, biscuits, crackers, crispbreads and healthy snacks.