For those who are new to Hebron, you may not be aware that since 2008, we have been supplying hampers to families and individuals in need at Christmas.

Over the years, demand has grown due to the challenging economic climate, and we have found ourselves receiving more requests than we could meet. In 2024, it was agreed that the project would be taken over by a group made up of representatives from the council and other third-party organisations, with funding provided by Cumberland Council and other third-party financial donations. Last year, we contributed 50 hampers and financial donations in addition to the 600+ hampers provided by our  partners. The local government funding that made this larger hamper offering last year is not available for Christmas 2025.

Feedback from those who have provided hampers in the past indicated that the project lost some of its personal touch when family details were no longer shared and gifts couldn’t be chosen for specific family members. In addition, we felt that we lost some of the valuable relationships we had built over the years with local Health Visitors and Social Workers.

This year, as a church family, we will once again provide 50 hampers for families nominated by their Health Visitor who have expressed an interest in receiving one. If you are not aware, health visitors work with families who have children under the age of five in their household. They know the families well and will talk to the family to find out if they need this kind of support at Christmas. The family details will be shared with those participating by the end of November.

We have been advised that including a supermarket voucher would be especially beneficial, as it allows families to purchase fresh goods and makes transporting hampers easier – something that has often proved challenging for those delivering and collecting items. After consideration, we feel it is important to empower others and give them a choice in the items which are purchased and enable them to buy meat, fresh fruit and vegetables. How wonderful to think we could be blessing a family with help buying their turkey for Christmas Day, or for them to get a few extra sweet treats this year to enjoy together.

We therefore suggest that each hamper include:

• A supermarket voucher (value between £45 – £55, depending on family size)
• A gift for each child or dependent (value between £10 – £15 per gift)

How can you support this year’s Hamper Project?

You can:

• Provide a complete hamper, including vouchers and gifts (preferred option)
• Shop for supermarket vouchers (using allocated funds or own funds)
• Shop for gifts (using allocated funds or own funds)
• Donate funds towards the purchase of vouchers and gifts

You can complete any of the options listed above as an individual, a couple, a family, a friendship group or even a group of colleagues. What a great conversation starter about how, as a church community, we show the love of Jesus to those in our local community.

If you would like to get involved this year, please speak to Davina, Claire or Caroline.