It's a time of festive joy, when families come together to celebrate.
But for those living in extreme hardship, Christmas is a tough period. Many people are forced into a life of poverty - left to choose between heating and eating. Those people need our help.
As people begin making plans for the Christmas period, we are partnering with Humans MCR to ensure that no one across Greater Manchester goes hungry this Christmas.
The Manchester Evening News is working with the north Manchester foodbank for the third year in a row, to help raise money for their incredible Christmas campaign, which delivers festive cheer to families in need.
You can donate here
The charity does vital work all year round, delivering food parcels to around 400 families every week across Manchester, Salford, Trafford, Stockport, Rochdale and Bury.
They also have a Community Grocers where people can choose from a full range of supermarket goods at discounted rates. Their Learn with Humans campaign also offers cooking lessons with low-cost ingredients and appliances.
But the charity’s efforts peak with their Nobody Hungry At Christmas campaign, in which they work tirelessly to provide Christmas hampers containing a full Christmas dinner, as well as presents and treats for adults and children.
Last year, the M.E.N’s campaign to support the appeal raised £13,844, thanks to the generosity of our readers, and friend of the paper Michael Josephson, who pledged to match the amount of donations raised. The whopping sum raised meant that 840 families across the region could enjoy a home-cooked meal and presents on Christmas Day.
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. The charity is 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, accommodating a range of diets including vegan, vegetarian, halal and gluten-free.
The charity was set up by Lewey Hellewell whose own experience of using traditional food banks after being made redundant left him feeling that the process lacked dignity and compassion.
People can be referred to the charity by any local community professional - including GPs, local MPs, health visitors, care and social workers - to get emergency food packages, delivered straight to their door in unmarked vans.
This Christmas, they're expecting to deliver festive hampers to over 1,000 people in our region. The hampers have everything to make a full Christmas dinner - plus presents for children, and treats for adults.
- £12.50 will give a single person a food package for three days
- £36 will feed a family of four for three days
- £61 will provide a family with a Christmas hamper.
This year, we want to do the same again, with Humans hoping it will be “the most impactful year yet”. But after a difficult twelve months for the charity, co-founder Lewey Hellewell says he fears the need will be even greater.
“This year has been horrendous financially,” he told the M.E.N. “We thought we might have to close for good back in September – though fortunately, thanks to some emergency funding, we’ve managed to bridge that gap.
“Things are looking a bit more stable now. But what happens over Christmas will be the determining factor for our future.”
As inflation has continued to bite and the cost-of-living crisis shows no signs of abating, Lewey ‘very much’ anticipates demand to increase this year, particularly since the announcement that winter fuel payments for pensioners would be restricted to just those on universal credit.
He added that donations to the charity had “hit the floor” since COVID. “There’s people who used to donate whose mortgage has gone up by hundreds,” he said.
“If people were able to magic a donation by wanting to give one, then we would be overrun – because people want to give. But the economic landscape has meant that people can’t.”
Despite a somewhat rocky year financially, Humans remains the food bank with a difference, as they deliver their parcels to their clients in unmarked vans, to ensure privacy and help avoid the stigma that can surround using a food bank.
“I can't bear the thought of people queuing outside food banks on busy roads, being judged by people as they drive past,” said Lewey.
“The delivery element is how we protect people's dignity, so that they don't have to queue up in the rain, or carry 25 kilos of canned food home while trying to tow three kids along the main road.”
Lewey speaks evocatively of the experience of using a food bank – because he has plenty of it. He relied on them for several months after being made redundant from his hospitality job in 2018, which left him “moments away from running out of money”.
Walking for miles in the rain – with no money to spare for a bus fare – Lewey said he felt further demoralised by the experience of having to tell his story over and over again to different food banks, and by having no choice over the items in his parcel.
“I can’t cook rice,” he laughs. “So I would ask for pasta – but I would get rice. And every forkful of that badly cooked rice was a reminder that I was on my knees.”
Thus the Humans pantry is stocked with a range of world foods and can accommodate a variety of diets including vegan, vegetarian, gluten free and halal. “I want people to eat food that they are familiar with, that is comforting to them,” said Lewey. “Because otherwise there is no dignity in that delivery.”
But Humans’ parcels don’t just include food. “When we’re packing orders, we will often have a conversation where we think, what else can we do for this family?” said Lewey.
“Say they’ve got a one-year old – have we got some wipes, nappies, baby food? Stuff they’re not expecting - but stuff that just lightens the load for that client.”
Alongside our fundraising campaign this Christmas, the charity is asking for donations of gifts that will go to parents and children. We know it’s a difficult time where many are strapped for cash – but even a few pounds will go a long way, as does a simple share of our campaign on social media.
For those that aren’t in a position to donate, you have the option to give your time – as the charity is also looking for volunteers to help pack orders, wrap presents and deliver the hampers.
“Someone asked me one year whether I thought it was too much money to spend on one day,” reflected Lewey.
“It is a very expensive project to run. But the entire country stops on December 25. And the harm that is being done if you feel like you’re not part of that national celebration – I think it’s massive.”
“We include Christmas crackers in our hampers, and a Terry's Chocolate Orange in every parcel. In my mind, it's those things that really make Christmas special – and it’s not Christmas without them.”
