Donations fill up hundreds of Christmas hampers for struggling Melton people
The vibrant community spirit in the Melton Mowbray area shines through in the annual campaign to provide hundreds of Christmas hampers for disadvantaged and vulnerable people.
Thanks to the efforts of the Helping The Isolated team and their local partners, many families, couples and those who live on their own will be able to have a proper Christmas dinner and other festive treats when they otherwise would not be able to afford them.
The rising cost of living and unemployment has again hit people hard this year and there are also an increasing number of residents who are working and yet still struggling to pay their bills.
Donated food and drink items are stored at The Venue, on Nottingham Road – with donations still open until tomorrow (Friday) – ahead of beneficiaries receiving their hampers on Monday.
Sharon Butcher, one of the main organisers, told the Melton Times: “This year we will be giving out over 200 hampers which will help almost 450 people in the community.
"We help a lot of old aged pensioners, struggling families and lots of people now who are in ‘working poverty’.
"It does make a difference and some of them are in tears when we give them their hamper.”
Mowbray Education Trust, which manages eight schools in the town and villages and a nursery, plays a big role in the project.
Tinned and dried food which is contributed to harvest festivals at each of the schools is donated to the Christmas hampers.
Some of the children are in families which benefit from receiving one of the hampers.
Ian Toon, director of education at the trust, commented: “We do a lot of work with the children on this and how important it is to the community.”
Melton Learning Hub also has a large input, with staff and the young people they teach collecting donated items.
Sarah Cox and Lucie Larke, from the hub, say the youngsters benefit from volunteering for the cause and it also helps them develop caring values they can adopt in their own lives.
Other local partners who help with the project include Stilton Striders, NFU Melton, Age UK Leicestershire, Sainsbury’s, Trumpton and Melton Mowbray Round Table.
Beneficiaries are referred to the scheme by local schools, social services and other agencies.