THE Kidderminster Foodbank has been preparing for the festive season with collections and a Christmas lunch.

The Christmas lunch, for families in the Wyre Forest, will take place on Monday, December 22, starting at 12pm.

Maureen Lewis, food bank project manager, said: “We will be offering turkey baps and mince pies as well as the usual hot drink to the families and single people who will be coming for food.

“Thank you to the generous offer by a lady to give us two cooked turkeys in the morning and the generous supply of mince pies we have collected from supermarkets, churches and businesses, as well as individuals.

“Anne Booth, who has donated the turkeys, said she had decided Christmas had become too commercial for her, so she is spending her Christmas money giving us the turkeys.

“We have already given out boxes of advent calendars kindly donated to a number of schools, as well as many children who come to the Foodbank and we are topping up the food parcels with lots of lovely goods for Christmas.”

The Foodbank has already received a generous amount of donations to help with the Christmas period, including collecting over 1900kgs of food during a three day collection at the local Tesco Superstore at the end of November.

Mrs Lewis said: “Any words I use do not seem enough to thank the public for their generosity. Thanks to this community, we have been able to give out so much lovely food and extra luxuries to the families who come to us.

“For many Christmas was not going to be a happy time, but we have been able to bring some joy and happiness to them with chocolate, cake, biscuits, mince pies, Christmas pudding, as well as toys and books for the children.”

The Kidderminster Foodbank will be open over the festive period. On Christmas Eve they will be open until 2.30pm, and then closed until Monday, December 29, when they will be open from 9.30am to 2.30pm.

The Foodbank will be closed New Years Day, but will reopen for the rest of the week as normal.

Mrs Lewis added: “This Christmas is really starting with a bang for us, we just need to make sure we reach every family that needs help.”

The Kidderminster Foodbank is based in Baxter Church Hall in Kidderminster and more details can be found on their website http://www.kidderminster.foodbank.org.uk/