Thank you for the generous donations to our Christmas Gifts Appeal last year. Through this appeal we are able to help families and individuals supported by Bath Foodbank through the giving of toy shop gift vouchers and other Christmas treats. Your kindness helped to make Christmas a little bit better. Supported by individuals, churches, corporates, residents’ organisations, and student fundraising it was truly an expression of our local community helping other local people in need.

The festive season can be for many a difficult time. For people needing support from Bath Foodbank, when struggling to cover all the costs, where does buying Christmas presents for your children come into the equation? We discovered a few years ago when we gave toy shop gift vouchers for the first time, that this brought a huge sense of relief to parents as it was one less thing to worry about and they would then be able to give a present on Christmas day. This also empowered parents as they could have the choice of what to buy their child for Christmas. And ultimately, we must remember that the aim is to bring joy and delight to the children.

With the funds raised between October and December 2023 we were able to give 260 gift vouchers worth £25 each for The Entertainer toy shop. This meant that 260 children had a present, chosen by their parent, under the tree on Christmas morning.

Grainne Moher, Bath Foodbank manager says, “It was wonderful to offer help to families again this Christmas,  and for many it provided huge relief that they could put a little something under the tree.  The parents and guardians were very appreciative, with some people quite emotional that others in their community wanted to help.  We are so grateful to have had so much support with this project,  ensuring that we could provide toy vouchers for every family who visited the Foodbank in the lead up to Christmas.”

Every year, as well as the gift vouchers, we support individuals and families with festive food and treats as an addition to the emergency food parcels. Advent calendars, chocolate coins, mince pies, Christmas puddings can all make a difference and bring some normality into people’s lives.  We are so grateful for all the Christmassy donations received as well as the everyday essentials.  Finally, the Bookbank,  which is available at each of the Foodbank distribution centres, was stocked up with festive books which could also serve as an extra gift for children and adults.

So, thank you again for bringing both relief and joy last Christmas and for the ongoing support through Bath Foodbank to help people in crisis throughout the year.