Big hearted school turns into food distribution centre – helping hundreds of families
By Olivia, 15, Worle Community School Academy, and Tamsin, 12, Priory Community School Academy, Jill Dando News
An incredible primary school Christmas food exchange hall has taken off with explosive charity giving
Ashcombe Primary School in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset set up a food exchange stall for parents experiencing hardship in July and the supply and demand has grown exponentially.
They have filled up what would amount to dozens of school classrooms full of food and other items including woolly hats, scarfs and gloves.
Headteacher John Clark said: “We really are truly proud of what we've been able to achieve to date far, with great thanks to Morrisons, Fareshare, Tesco, our families and staff who have all regularly donated.”
The food distribution centre started back in April and has grown constantly.
The school started by sharing donations from Morrisons and charity Fareshare, and within hours, parents were dropping off Christmas jumpers, their own food donations, SIM cards and a whole lot more.
Weston Foodbank are also supporting the scheme with parcels for families.
Mr Clark added: “The need has got greater and greater. Things have got so bad the families had to come for help because they really had to.
“There is often a delay before getting a benefit payment. So this whole project has been a real lifeline for some of our families. When you see a need, you want to help.
“I suspect this is going to be a long term thing and we are happy to do this for the long haul. Christmas is coming and there are no sign of things getting better.”
