How did the '12 Days of Christmas Boxes' come about?
Our project was started in 2022, by two friends recognising that Christmas is so often a time of extra pressure for people. However it wasn’t entirely our own idea. We first heard about it in a BBC news item about a similar project in a town in Australia (called the Reverse Advent Calendar) and we realised that it could be replicated in our own community in Ryedale.
What captured our hearts were the stories not just of what a difference it made to the people receiving the boxes, but also to the people choosing items to put into the boxes; one person described it as a highlight of their Christmas to choose gifts with their grandchild to be given to another child.
Our project has grown to meet the needs of our community, and is supported by our community in the true spirit of Christmas. We are now a team of four organisers and a small army of volunteers. Additionally we have an amazing partner in Ryedale Community Foodbank, along with their volunteers. See below for more information on Ryedale Community Foodbank and our work with them.
Christmas is about giving, about family and about community. We are so thrilled that our project is able to meet a growing need to support our neighbours at this special time of year.
Meet the team
We are a team of coordinators and volunteers who all work on a voluntary basis.
Organisers :
-
Ruth Longworth-Zurcher- Chairperson
-
Ann Young - Treasurer
-
Zoe Bent - Secretary
-
Emma Aldrich - Artistic co-ordinator
Volunteers :
Our organisers are supported by a dedicated group of volunteers who help us get the boxes ready to be collected by Ryedale Community Foodbank who distribute the boxes throughout December.
Here some of the many tasks the volunteers are helping with:
-
Distributing empty boxes and picking up full ones
-
Checking full boxes to ensure all the gifts are appropriate for the recipients
-
Sorting the boxes into categories of recipients (adult, child etc)
-
Making up new boxes from the individual gift donations we receive from schools, businesses and other organisations
-
Championing the coordinating of boxes and/or individual gifts in their work place
A well deserved coffee break
We are always delighted to welcome new volunteers.
If you would like to volunteer with us please get in touch with us here:
Our Partner:
Ryedale Community Foodbank
We are delighted to be in partnership with Ryedale Community Foodbank, who have supported us right from the start. We work very closely and together we have developed the project to ensure it fits in with the work they are doing. Our team promotes, organises, collects and sorts the boxes; the Foodbank then picks them up and distributes the boxes to people in our community. So, a huge THANK YOU goes to the Foodbank for all the wonderful work they are doing !!
Here is some feedback from Ryedale Community Foodbank Kirbymoorside Hub: "For many of our clients last year your boxes were the highlight of their Christmas "
Ryedale Community Foodbank opened its' doors to clients in 2022 as an independent food bank (replacing The Ryedale Foodbank, run by the Trussell Trust).
It has three centres in Malton/Norton, Pickering and Kirkbymoorside. It is run by a small team of trustees and an army of volunteers who assist in the collection of donations, dating and managing stocks, and the packing and distribution of food bags and boxes. They provide long-life food and some household goods to people in the Ryedale area. Clients are referred by specialist agencies. For more information please visit Ryedale Community Foodbank, https://www.ryedalecommunityfoodbank.co.uk or click on this link:
