Christmas Meal in a Bag campaign a success in Wythenshawe
Households in Wythenshawe received some extra support last month to help put a Christmas dinner on the table, thanks to the generosity of local businesses, organisations and volunteers from Wythenshawe Community Housing Group (WCHG).
WCHG’s Christmas Meal in a Bag initiative, now in its second year, saw 115 households in the town receive all the ingredients needed to bring some festive culinary cheer to local residents, with each parcel containing a chicken, potatoes, carrots, sprouts, parsnips, stuffing and gravy mixes, fruit, and mince pies.
Sean Duffy, the Living Well Food Manager at WCHG, coordinated the programme. Sean said: “We had a wonderful response to our appeal for help in funding the campaign, with £2,900 donated by WCHG’s suppliers and a £1,400 grant from Manchester Active. Also, Tesco in Wythenshawe generously donated most of the vegetables and discounted all the trimmings.
“When we’d assembled all the ingredients at Woodhouse Park Lifestyle Centre, volunteers from WCHG, along with family members, spent two days packing the meals before delivering them to local residents. We were also able to provide small bags
of gifts to go with the meals to help spread even more Christmas cheer.
“We’re so grateful to all those who made the whole thing possible by donating either food, money or their time to help local people who were struggling to afford a Christmas dinner, especially during the cost of living crisis. Wythenshawe has a fantastic sense of community and local people and businesses have once again outdone themselves with their generosity.”
WCHG has produced an interactive map that helps resident in Wythenshawe and Northenden find help in coping with the cost of living crisis, and information on government financial support can also be found on the WCHG website.
