Preston's Here for Humanity overwhelmed by local support this Christmas

The Preston based charity, Here for Humanity says it has been overwhelmed by support form local people and businesses this festive season, allowing it to help families most in need.

In the week before Christmas, Preston's Direct Poultry Supply (DPS) donated 100 full turkey crowns to Here for Humanity, each weighing between 1.5kg and 2.5kg, and worth over £1200 in total.

The charity were able to give these turkeys to struggling families in the Preston area before Christmas Eve, which, along with the food items donated during their reverse advert calendar, meant they could still enjoy a full Christmas dinner this year.

Here for Humanity's reverse advent calendar appeal had been running throughout the month of December, with the donations helping their food bank this Christmas and in the new year.

Commenting on DPS's generosity, Chris, the founder of Here for Humanity said: "It was a great donation, the turkeys went out with the food club and the food bank, and we had a lot of people breaking down saying we just saved their Christmas day, they didn't have a turkey, they didn't have anything.

"We gave out 100 turkeys, with about 100 kilograms of potatoes, hundreds of pigs in blanket packages, and crates and crates of veg, but as well as giving out Christmas dinners, we also gave out presents as well, as part of the Dunelm initiative, so that is a full Christmas to some people who are really struggling. Honestly, the messages we were receiving from the group were unbelievable, it changed so many peoples days. "

As well as food donations, the charity also received financial contributions from local businesses, including £1000 from We Clear Blockages, £500 from Unite the Union, and a £1500 cheque, as well as a truck load of food, from Fox Brothers.

These financial donations will help Here for Humanity continue their vital services across Preston well into the new year.

Chris added: "The reverse advent calendar exploded so much that we've had to close this week because we can't move for boxes of food in the hub, it's just piled that high. As that went down so amazingly, we've not had to spend a fraction of the amount of money we planned to spend in December, we still have huge outgoings, such as our FareShare bills, I think we're paying about £1000 pound a month for food, but these extra donations will definitely be put to new projects in the coming months.

"So we're feeling well prepped for the new year but we are also looking for volunteers to face the year with, there's a lot of projects and they're gonna require manpower."

Here for Humanity are in need of more volunteers across a variety of roles, including administration work, packing parcels, delivery drivers and sorting through clothes.

To find out more about the work Here for Humanity do, and how to get involved, visit their Facebook page, and to volunteer, send an email expressing interest to [email protected], including your availability and desired role.