Youngsters from across the north-east have added piles of food to a charity’s shelves.
Rainbows, Brownies and Guides have answered The Press and Journal and Evening Express’s call to get involved with The Big Christmas Food Appeal.
Already donations have flooded in from Inverness and Aberdeen, with four more units now also handing over their goods to foodbank charity Cfine.
The 1st Pitmedden Rainbows worked hard to gather donations, collecting food from relatives and residents. Their efforts will go towards their community badges.
The group has collected a lot of essentials including cereal, tinned soup, pasta and rice.
Leader in training Isobel Shand, 39, said it was important for the girls to help their local community.
The Big Christmas Food Appeal is ‘important right now ‘
She said: “Given all the issues going on at the moment, we thought it was important.
“We let their family know and they have been dropping stuff off on Mondays. It all goes towards their badges too.”
The Rainbow unit has only been running since September, after previously closing due to a lack of volunteers.
All 10 children were vocal about why they thought donating to the Big Christmas Food Appeal was important.
One girl said: “People don’t have food and they might need to go to charity.”
Another said: “People in need can get stuff if they are hungry.”
Fulfilling promise to local community
Another group eager to help those in need this winter are the 2nd Cults Guides.
The members are all too aware of people in need this winter and have been hard at work collecting donations over the past few weeks.
Organiser Jane Varley said: “We read about the appeal through our local Girl Guiding group and decided to present it to our girls and see if they would like to participate about a month ago.
The group of 19 girls were glad to be able to get involved after Covid kept them unable to do most activities.
An important part of the Girl Guide promise to help their local community.
Mrs Varley said: “I think it is quite brilliant what they have done from such a small unit.
“We always like to get the children involved in helping those in need.
‘It didn’t matter if it was one tin’
The 51st Aberdeen Guides in Kincorth and the 48th Aberdeen Brownies in Cove have also taken part in the appeal, donating “bits and bobs” every week to try and make a difference.
There are 11 Guides aged 10 to 14 and 18 Brownies aged 7 to 10.
Leader Lynne Charleton said: “We usually try to do something every year or every other year to help out.
“We have done Christmas shoe boxes in the past.
“But this was quite a good one to organise, the Guides are a bit older and we asked them if they wanted to take part.”
The Brownie group has been working towards their badges, which in the future includes writing a letter in groups to a charity to thank them for letting them help.
Mrs Charleton, who has been involved in Girl Guides in Aberdeen for 40 years, said: “I wasn’t sure how it would be this year because everyone is struggling.
“But it didn’t matter if it was one tin or a shopping bag full of things.
“As long as we could help.”
Get involved
The Big Christmas Food Appeal, a collaboration between The Press and Journal, Evening Express, Original 106 and Energy Voice, aims to tackle food poverty and debunk some of the myths around who can receive help.
We’re collecting donations for Cfine – which covers Grampian and the Highlands – through JustGiving and Cfine’s Amazon wish list, and running drop-off points at The Trinity Centre, Aberdeen; Msq 1 and 2 on Broad Street, Aberdeen; Moray Food Plus, High Street, Elgin; and the P&J office at Stoneyfield Business Park, Inverness.
We also want to highlight the work of other community groups, charities and volunteers working to keep families fed this winter.
Conversation