The Andover foodbank needs your help to support those in need in our community this Christmas by donating Christmas gift boxes or Christmas hampers.
Last year the foodbank distributed over 1000 Christmas gift boxes full of toys and gifts to care workers at agencies, including Children’s Services, Yellow Brick Road Projects and Andover Young Carers, to be given to local children in need. The demand for gift boxes was higher than in any previous year but thanks to the generosity of local individuals, companies, clubs and schools, and a fantastic team of volunteers all the requests from care workers were matched. A local Headteacher said ‘The gift boxes were very, very successful and brought great happiness to many of our children’ and explained that ‘We have many families that struggle on a daily basis with poverty and disadvantage and this was a little ray of sunshine that came with love and warmth’. A Social Worker said ‘The people who have donated gifts have given some of the most vulnerable children in Hampshire the gift of waking up to presents on Christmas Day’.
Click here for more information and to see our leaflet, labels and lots of ideas for gifts. All items must be new and unused, sweets must have a use by date on each individual packet (loose sweets or packets from multipacks without a date cannot be distributed), and free items such as toys from restaurants and basic toiletries should not be included. The foodbank distributes basic toiletries separately. You can also donate to the project online or by texting GIFTBOX and the amount you want to donate to 70085 (eg GIFTBOX 15). Text GIFTBOXNOINFO and the amount you want to donate if you do not want us to be contacted in the future. Texts will cost your donation amount plus one standard rate message.
The foodbank also gives Christmas hampers to families and individuals who are struggling. These hampers make an enormous difference to the festive season, helping alleviate the many financial pressures and allowing people to celebrate the season rather than exist through it. You can donate through 12 days to Christmas. There are 12 dates with 12 items starting on 8 November 2021 with a ‘bag for life’. You can follow 12 Days to Christmas on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram adding items on specific days at or do your shopping in one go. More information is available on the foodbank website.
Gift boxes must be delivered to the foodbank by Friday 5 November 2021. This guarantees that care workers have time to discreetly deliver the gift boxes to families in time for Christmas. Hampers must be delivered by Sunday 28 November 2021.