Thank you to all students, staff and parents who contributed to our recent collections for three local charities.
We asked for donations of food, toiletries, clothing and bedding, which we will give to three local charities: Crowborough Food Bank, which helps over 550 local people each year during times of difficulty; Helping the Homeless, a homeless shelter and soup kitchen for those in desperate need during the winter in Kent; and Nourish Community Food Bank, supporting Tunbridge Wells and the surrounding area, where last year it helped over 4500 people by providing emergency supplies.
The food items we received included: 81kg pasta, 48kg rice, 70 jars of pasta sauce, 321 tins of soup, beans, vegetables, fish and other foods, 50 packets of biscuits, 45 boxes of cereal, 3465 tea bags, 16 jars of coffee and hot chocolate, 23 jars of spread, plus sugar, flour and chocolate bars.
Thank you also for donating toiletries, including: Over 100 tubes of toothpaste, 75 toothbrushes, 140 toilet rolls, 90 bars of soap, 30 bottles of shampoo, plus shower gel, wet wipes, tampons, deodorant, nappies, tissues, laundry detergent and washing-up liquid.
One in five of the UK population lives below the poverty line; Helping the Homeless regularly sees 15 to 20 rough sleepers a night in the emergency shelter, and Nourish Community Food Bank has seen a sharp rise in the number of people requiring support in the area it serves. We hope these donations will make a difference this winter.
