Workington Community Emergency Response Group – Christmas Campaign

The festive season often proves a difficult time financially for families, especially with the current cost of living crisis that the country faces.  This is affecting so many within our Cumbrian communities. 

We were delighted to be approached by the Workington Community Emergency Response Group to see if we could lend a helping hand this year to support this very worthwhile cause.
With just a couple of days to get the produce ordered, checked, counted and packed, it was all hands on deck to make this happen.  With Christmas carols playing, cups of tea and mince pies flowing, the team at the Carlisle depot swung into action!
 
The shopping list included:
600 heads broccoli, 600 x 2kg bags potatoes, 600 x 1kg bags carrots, 600 x 500g bags Brussel sprouts
 
Pallets of fresh produce arrived and the counting and weighing began.  Within a few hours the vegetables were bagged up, vans loaded, and headed off to the Energy Coast UTC, Workington.
 
We were met by a fabulous team of volunteers, including the Rotary Club and Inner Wheel Club members, Derwent Recycling, Workington Town Council, the Helena Thompson Museum to name just a few.

The vans were unloaded, and the UTC Sports Hall was awash with produce.  Carrots and Brussels seemed to stretch for miles across the room!  The “Christmas Elves” then got to work, packing up fabulous food bags for families in need.  Generous donations of mince pies, chocolates, turkey crowns, Christmas puddings, custard and even tin foil, were packed neatly into the 600 bags before being distributed across the region ahead of the big day.
 
The organisation and planning of this huge task must have taken a lot of time and without the local funders and sponsors would never have happened.  We were delighted to support the project, knowing that 600 families will be able to enjoy a lovely meal and some treats on Christmas Day made us a proud project to be part of.
 
Merry Christmas everyone – I think we will be counting sprouts in our sleep for some time yet!