Guest Blog: Help make a difference to a child’s life and keep the magic of Christmas going!
Lane Line from Langdon Hills, Essex works as a Sales Executive for Sharpfibre who are the UK’s leading specialist fire protection contractor, providing passive fire protection systems and life safety solutions based in Laindon.
Lane Line and her team drop of gifts and hampers for our Christmas Appeal 2020
In 2018, Lane saw a Facebook post about food hampers for the Charity Kids Inspire based in Essex. Kids Inspire provide mental health and trauma recovery support for children and their families. Not only do the hampers make up most of the Christmas meal for a family, they also give them a treat of chocolate (something that many of us take for granted).
Lane thought this was a good way to teach her son about Christmas being about giving rather than just receiving and decided to collect some hampers. In that first year, Lane and her friends managed to donate 18 hampers and then decided that they wanted to do something every year.
Lane spoke to her employer Sharpfibre, who kindly agreed to offer space to store the hampers going forward each year, with many of the staff donating too. In 2020, Lane and the team managed to donate a whopping 230 hampers, 32 selection boxes, 57 gifts and a bag full of brand new books and they are hoping to increase on those figures this year.
Lane said,
“One year, I heard a child say to one of the workers at Kids Inspire when we were dropping off the hampers that Santa wasn’t coming this year because he was poorly. After a quick chat to the mum, the worker established that the Mum did not have any means to buy food, let alone Christmas presents. Kids Inspire rallied around and managed to get a hamper and a gift together past their cut-off date to keep the magic of Christmas alive for that child. That is the reason we do what we do each year”.
Between now and the 26 November 2021, Lane and her team of helpers are collecting donations or completed hampers. The completed hampers need to be in tote bags and contain the following items:
1 x Box of Mince Pies
1 x Jar of Jam or Marmalade
1 x Large Christmas Pudding
1 x Box Tea Bags
1 x Long Life Custard
1 x Box/Tin of Biscuits
2 x Tinned Vegetables
1 x Box of Chocolates or Selection Box
1 x Box Savoury Crackers
As much as many would like to, it is not possible to add extra things to the hampers/tote bags, as Kids Inspire like each one to be the same, which makes it fairer to the families. If you would like to donate a whole hamper, individual items (as listed above) or make a donation, Lane and her team are happy to buy the produce or make up the hampers for you. All donations can be dropped of at the Laindon Sharpfibre office Monday to Friday between 9.00am and 4.00pm: 4-5 Braiswick Place Laindon North Industrial Centre SS15 6EB
Kids Inspire also have an Amazon Wish List, find out more here
