Help make Christmas brighter for people in our community who are facing hunger by donating a Christmas hamper to a local family.

Every year, our community comes together to support local people experiencing hunger and hardship by donating and distributing hampers at Christmas.

This year, we're inviting you to get involved by choosing to donate a Winter Essentials Hamper, a Christmas Treats Hamper, or both. Winter Essentials Hampers provide everyday food and household essentials to help people through the winter months, while Christmas Treats Hampers add a little extra festive cheer.

For many individuals and families, Christmas can be an especially challenging time, with difficult choices to make about putting food on the table and making the festive season special for their loved ones.

Whatever you choose to donate, you'll be helping to ease some of that pressure, bringing comfort, joy and a little Christmas magic to neighbours who need it most.

How to give a hamper

1. Select your drop-off day and type of hamper(s)

First, select the type and number of hampers you would like to donate (Winter Essentials, Christmas Treats or both), then choose the date and time you'd like to drop them off.

Hampers can be dropped off at 6 Nuffield Close on either of the following dates:

Tuesday 8th December: 4pm–7pm

Sunday 13th December: 2pm–5pm

Please select which drop-off session you plan to attend. This helps us coordinate collections and let the people receiving hampers know when to expect their donations.

Please note that we will not be able to accept hamper donations after these dates.

2. Put your hamper together and prepare your donations

We ask that you bring your donations in strong bags for life. If you are providing both Winter Essentials and Christmas Treats hampers they must be in separate bags.

It's important to keep these bags separate, as Winter Essentials hampers and Christmas Treats hampers will be distributed to people at different times.

Please also check that all food items have a use-by date of 25th December or later.

3. What to include

Winter Essentials Hamper

Please include 8–10 items from the following list in your winter essentials bag:

Tinned soup

Tinned ham or corned beef

Tinned tuna or salmon

Tinned pulses or beans

Tinned curry or stew (vegetable or meat)

Pasta sauce

Crackers

Shower gel or soap

Long-life sponge puddings

Jar of jam

Rice pudding or custard

Small jar of instant coffee or a box of 80 tea bags

Christmas Treats Hamper

Please include one of each of the following items in your separate Christmas treats bag:

Children's chocolates

Adult chocolates

Crisps

Chutney

Mince pies, Yule log or Christmas pudding

Sweet biscuits

Nuts

Dried fruit

Wherever possible, to help ensure that as many people as possible can enjoy the Christmas treats, please try to choose items that do not contain alcohol or traces of alcohol. This is particularly worth checking in Christmas puddings, mince pies and chocolates.

Dietary and Lifestyle Requirements

We want to make sure that everyone can enjoy their hamper, whatever their dietary requirements or preferences.

If you'd prefer to put together a Christmas Treats hamper that is Gluten Free, Halal, Vegan or Low Sugar, we'd be very happy for you to do so. Please select the appropriate option from the next page. It would be really helpful if you then email hampers@ccfb.org.uk with your reference number and the type of special diet you'll be providing for.

The difference a hamper makes

For some of the people we support, a Christmas hamper may be the only festive gift they receive. What might seem like a simple act of kindness can make a huge difference, bringing a little hope, happiness and reassurance at what can be a particularly difficult time of year.

Our initial aim is to collect enough Christmas Treats hampers for every Fairbite Food Club member who requests one to receive a Christmas hamper in time for Christmas. Fairbite Food Clubs support people experiencing longer-term hunger and financial hardship across Cambridge. This means we're hoping to collect approximately 600 hampers.

The Winter Essentials hampers will be distributed through our Foodbank Welcome Centres helping us to support people facing a crisis this winter.

Thank you for your kindness and generosity. Every donation makes a difference, and together we can make Christmas a little brighter for our community.

Description supplied by the event organiser.