Hundreds of Christmas hampers delivered to struggling Melton people

Some of the volunteers who helped collect food for hundreds of Christmas hampers for struggling people across the Melton borough

This year’s initiative, co-ordinated by the Helping the Isolated group, delivered a remarkable 319 hampers to struggling families, elderly people and others who live alone.

The food and drink was donated by local businesses and organisations, church members and residents to make a real difference to the lives of those less fortunate over the festive season.

Sharon Brown, one of the organisers, told the Melton Times: “This showed Melton’s true Christmas spirit and I can’t thank everyone who helped enough.

"We had a group of people who boxed up the food all day in a real team effort before we delivered it.

"There are too many names to mention everyone who helped.”

The group built up a list of households and people who needed help after they were recommended by borough councillors, schools, children’s nurseries and those who had approached Helping the Isolated.

Food was collected through school Harvest Festival celebrations, Mowbray Education Trust, Brownlow Wellbeing Hub (Sandie Hart), Melton Round Table, the town’s Catholic church, Melton Learning Hub, Age UK Gloucester House while fundraising events paid for provisions from a non-uniform day at John Ferneley College and a toy sale at Brownlow Primary School.

Town supermarkets got involved with Aldi and Sainsbury’s providing huge quantities of food, Lidl, Tesco and Morrisons helped with the purchase of chickens and Argos also made donations.

The Melton NFU Mutual office gave money and vouchers to the appeal.

Special mention was made of Daniella Kozok and Bobby Wallace, who compiled spreadsheets and were delivering food until nearly midnight, among the many who helped.

Sharon, who is landlady at The Grapes pub and a Melton borough councillor, said there was a big demand for help from working families, as well as the unemployed and elderly, due to the ongoing cost of living crisis.

She added: “Some people have a nice car and appear to have nice lives but they are in working poverty, which is now a huge issue.

"Mortgages have doubled, bills have gone up a lot and just because people drive a nice, reliable car does not mean they are not struggling.”