Express & Star comment: Feed a Family campaign goes from strength to strength
The Express & Star’s Feed a Family campaign has grown from strength to strength since it was launched in 2016.
Last year, our incredible readers donated more that 16,000 items for food banks, the homeless and children at The Haven refuge.
The campaign really does appear to have brought the very best out in people, and we are hoping to replicate last year’s fantastic response again this Christmas.
Until December 14, we will be collecting contributions of non-perishable food and toiletries to pass on to good causes over the festive period.
Christmas is a wonderful time of year, but for many people across our great region it can be a real struggle.
It is a national tragedy that the number of people attending food banks is at record levels.
The Trussell Trust, which runs two-thirds of the UK’s food banks, said it distributed a record 823,145 food parcels between April and September, including 301,653 that went to children.
Across the country it is estimated that at least three million food parcels were given out in 2018-19.
Unlike some areas of the country, parts of the West Midlands have not benefited from a boosted economy. Unemployment has stayed high.
That is why we are once again calling on our readers for their help to make the festive season special for those who are struggling to make ends meet.
To date, even though the campaign is still in its early stages, we have already had some fantastic pledges of support.
These include 1,500 items from Lichfield food bank, as well as a number of other generous donations which will be revealed in the E&S over the course of the week.
But the success of the campaign is reliant on the involvement of people from across the region.
Donations can include Christmas items, such as mince pies or Christmas cakes; cupboard essentials such as tinned food and rice; and toiletries.
All donations are gratefully received and will be delivered by the E&S to worthy causes including the Black Country Foodbank, The Well, The Good Shepherd and The Haven.
