Donations are flooding into Mansfield District Council's Sponsor a Bauble appeal as the 10 December deadline for gifts approaches.
Mansfield Rotary Club has donated more than £1,000 worth of food to the appeal which will help vulnerable people struggling to put food on the table this Christmas.
The club is donating £1,000 worth of food, while Rotary4Food is donating a further £250 worth of goodies to help the council fill 200 food hampers with everything needed for a Christmas dinner, including luxury festive treats. The club is being supported by Morrisons supermarket.
Executive Mayor Andy Abrahams thanked the Rotary Club and all the sponsors for their donations and encouraged businesses to support the appeal.
The Mayor is also donating £250 to the appeal from his Mayor's 500 Fund and a further £250 from his fund to the council's Secret Santa Appeal to buy Christmas gifts for vulnerable people in the district.
"We are overwhelmed by this amazing donation from the Rotary Club and by the amount of support the appeal has generated. We cannot thank our sponsors enough," he said.
"Mansfield people are just the best when it comes to showing how much they care for people in need. The virus pandemic has left many people facing an uncertain future and many families are worrying about how they will cope this Christmas.
"These appeals are showing there is plenty of community and Christmas spirit about here despite the difficult and challenging times we find ourselves in."
Kate Allsop, President of Mansfield Rotary Club, said: "Our COVID-19 Response Team has been meeting fortnightly since the pandemic began and we have been supporting local food banks and other key local groups throughout this challenging period. This donation to the council's appeal continues that support to our local community."
Gary Jordan, Chair of Mansfield and Ashfield 2020 has also given up his chairman's remuneration to donate £250 to the appeal.
He said: "I am proud to be involved with helping the council and many others during these challenging times. I decided to forego remuneration, feeling that it would be of greater benefit to distribute it equally to some of the fantastic and worthy causes around the area. Ensuring food is on the table for local people is one that we at Mansfield and Ashfield 2020 are proud to be involved with."
As well as distributing food hampers through Bellamy, Oak Tree and Dallas Street FOOD (Food On Our Doorstep) Clubs, and via the council's temporary accommodation service, the Sponsor a Bauble Appeal will also be channelling donations to homeless charities and soup kitchens.
Among the organisation distributing donations will be The Beacon project and Crossroads Trust, which both support rough sleepers and people at risk of homelessness in Mansfield, Jigsaw Support Scheme, a local organisation that helps people with dementia and hoarding issues, and the Gift of Christmas, a Mansfield based community group which distributes festive food hampers in the Mansfield area.
In the council's other festive fundraiser, the Secret Santa Appeal, donations include:
- Smyth's Toys in Mansfield which is giving £100 to spend in store to the winner of the council's Festive Festival best dressed window competition to be launched on Saturday 28 November on the authority's Facebook page. The store is also donating free toys and gift wrap and offering a discount on other toys bought for the appeal.
- Home Co, which is donating quirky children’s and adult gifts
- Becky’s Bookshelf and Jemma’s Body Shop at Home, which have provided discounts for gifts bought for the appeal.
Gifts are being distributed thanks to Mansfield Children’s Centre Service which is providing free activity packs throughout December as part of the Christmas Craft Advent online event.
See the council's Facebook page (link opens in new window) for videos or visit Children’s Centre Service Facebook page (link opens in new window) to find out how to claim the activity pack from 1 December.
The council has also donated baking kits via the Children’s Centre Service so that families can make snowman snow cakes together. To have a go at making them, join the Festive Festival this weekend, on 28 and 29 November, to find out the ingredients and recipe.