Food bank prepares Christmas presents for hundreds of Cornish families 'having a tough time'
The project supports some of the most vulnerable families in Camborne, Pool and Redruth, as ITV News' Kathy Wardle reports
A food bank charity in Cornwall is preparing to distribute two thousand Christmas presents to families struggling this Christmas.
Transformation CPR says that's almost double the amount it was able to send out in 2023. The Camborne-based charity supports some of the most vulnerable families in Camborne, Pool and Redruth.
Thousands of presents and festive food items have been donated through supermarket appeals, businesses and members of the public.
Chief Executive of Transformation CPR Anna Corbett said: “We just want to make sure that every child has the best possible Christmas, that's really why we're here, to make sure we can support those children and families.
"Most of them are really having a tough time. A lot of the parents are still working, but are not able to afford the Christmas that they would really like to.”This year for the first time the charity is also delivering gifts for teenagers leaving care, young homeless people between the ages of 16 and 18 and vulnerable single adults.Volunteer Project Co-ordinator Fiona Crump says: “I've been doing this for the last eight years and I get overwhelmed every year by it, to be honest.
"I have that really strange mix of being sad and angry that we have to do it, but I’m incredibly overwhelmed by people's kindness. The presents that get donated are incredible, and it's just going to make people's Christmases much better.”
Volunteers from other local charities have also stepped in to help get the gifts wrapped before they are delivered.
Sophie Essex is a volunteer present wrapper from the charity Shared Lives South West. She told ITV News: “There were tears when we came in to see all of the presents laid out. It's just incredible.
"We all take a piece of paper and we go and fill up the present bags and it's actually lovely to know that a child is going to open it on Christmas Day.”
The Transformation CPR charity runs a regular food bank service across Camborne, Pool and Redruth. It's also getting ready to make up festive food boxes for local families who face a difficult festive period.
Joyce Duffin, Transformation CPR said: ''We've done boxes for 280 families this year, and they've all been nominated by schools or health visitors and social workers, and the criteria is that it's families that couldn't afford Christmas without our help.
"We’re always really busy the week before Christmas, we notice as soon as the weather gets cold and people have to put their heating on, that we see a massive increase at the food bank. People are choosing to try and pay for their heating, but then can't afford food.''
The charity says it is still welcoming donations of gifts ahead of Christmas and has a shortage of items suitable for babies and teenage boys.
It's also appealing for tinned meats and festive items like pickled goods and mince pies for its food boxes.