Jersey Schoolchildren Assemble Festive Hampers for Food Bank

Young students in Jersey have assembled festive gift baskets for a local food assistance organization. The families of students attending Faithful Companions of Jesus Primary School contributed the goods, which the children subsequently arranged and packaged for the Grace Trust. These provisions are intended for distribution to individuals receiving aid from the food bank during the holiday period. Additionally, the young participants composed Christmas cards, aiming to convey to those facing difficulties that they are not isolated. Six-year-old Hattie stated: “We’re making hampers to make sure that people at Christmas are not lonely.” She added: “We want them to feel happy on Christmas Day.” Ten-year-old Georgia further commented: “It is important for everybody to have something to have on Christmas so they don’t feel alone or upset.” The educational institution anticipates that this initiative will instill in the children the value of collective effort in assisting others during the holiday period. Sarah O’hEarchai, a teacher, assisted the students with their tasks and plans to volunteer on Christmas Day at St Thomas’ Church, where she will spend time with individuals and provide coffee and mince pies. She remarked: “We wanted to ensure that the children were giving back to the community.” She continued: “It’s been so wonderful and we always teach their children at this time of year about joy, thinking of Jesus, thinking of others and thinking of yourself.” She also noted: “We’re very aware of our Catholic social teaching principles as well and one of those is to show and help and support for the poor and to be our best selves, and that is sometimes giving something up and helping someone who needs a hand.” The Grace Trust indicated that the Christmas period represents its most active time annually. Chairman David Capps commented on the children’s contributions: “It will do our clients the world of good.” He added: “It’s been a tough year for many in the island and many still struggle with the rise in living costs, so this is going to be a big, big relief.” For updates, follow BBC Jersey on X and Facebook. Story submissions can be sent to channel.islands@bbc.co.uk. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC disclaims responsibility for the content found on external websites. Information regarding our external linking policy is available for review.