How a £10 donation to a food bank charity can help feed families this Christmas

Humans MCR on average deliveries food parcels to 300 people a week

With the cost of living crisis showing no sign of ending and inflation soaring, hopes for a merry Christmas are all but gone for many struggling families. People across Grater Manchester face the harsh reality of choosing between paying essential bills, keeping their homes warm and buying presents - against a backdrop of financial uncertainty.

In Manchester, one food bank is trying to make a difference. Staff are working hard to eradicate those difficult choices, ensuring no family faces the dilemma of heating or eating this Christmas.

Manchester Evening News is partnering with Humans MCR - a charity doing incredible work to tackle hunger in Greater Manchester - for its Christmas campaign.

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Humans MCR deliver emergency food packages in unmarked vans, to maintain privacy, and give people in need a choice over what they eat. As well as a community grocery service providing supermarket staples at massively reduced prices, the charity also offers packages for people who only have access to a kettle.

Founder Lewey Hellewell, who used traditional food banks, set up the outfit to give people a more ‘dignified’ and ‘respectful’ alternative.

This Christmas, the charity will deliver ‘Xmas hampers’ to over 800 people across Manchester, Salford, Stockport, Trafford, Rochdale, and Bury on December 23.

The hampers include traditional Christmas veg, including carrots, potatoes, parsnips, sprouts, cabbage, and broccoli, as well as turkey, pigs in blankets, gravy, batter for yorkshire puddings, stuffing mix, fruit and a selection of desserts. Hampers catering for different dietary and cultural requirements are also available. Families are also given Christmas classics including puddings, crackers and mince pies.

Filled with everything a family needs for Christmas dinner - as well as gifts for children and treats for adults - the charity's work means hundreds of people can have a truly happy Christmas. But the charity needs your help.

Humans MCR, on average, delivers to 300 people a week. At this time of year, that number increases way above 500. Despite the enormous pressure to keep up with increasing demand, donations are dropping.

Humans MCR

The Manchester Evening News Christmas Appeal is once again supporting Humans MCR, a charity doing incredible work to tackle hunger in Greater Manchester.

This organisation is small but mighty - they work to tackle hunger directly and are run by someone who has relied on foodbanks himself.

We love this charity because they treat everyone with the dignity and respect we all deserve. Each week they provide a lifeline for 400 families and individuals across Manchester, Salford, Rochdale, Trafford, Stockport and Bury.

All their food is delivered in unmarked vans so no one knows the people they help are getting support from a foodbank. And they give people in need a choice over what they eat.

The charity was set up by Lewey Hellewell whose own experience of using traditional food banks, after being made redundant, left him feeling humiliated.

People can be referred to the charity by any local community professional - including GPs, local MPs, or school pastoral care workers - to get emergency food packages, delivered straight to their door in unmarked vans.

This Christmas, they're expecting to deliver festive 'Xmas hampers' to over 800 people in our region. The hampers have everything to make a full Christmas dinner - plus presents for children, and treats for adults.

• £10 will give a single person a food package for three days
• £30 will feed a family of four for three days
• £45 will provide a family with a Christmas hamper.

As the cost of living continues, fewer people are able to contribute. The strain on household budgets through rising expenses has made it challenging for many to spare extra funds for donations.

If you are able to give anything at all, Humans MCR can make it go a long way. £10 will give a single person a food package for three days, £30 will feed a family of four for three days, and £45 will provide a family with an Xmas hamper.

If you are unable to donate cash, you can still help by sharing our content to make sure people know Humans MCR exist and are able to support them. You can donate to the campaign here.

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