Farmer Distributes 500 Food Hampers to Those in Need

A farmer who assembled 500 fresh food boxes for distribution to individuals requiring assistance stated that the gratitude received had been “overwhelming”. Dairy farmer Charlotte Ashley confirmed she was able to provide the hampers across Cumbria after receiving a £2,000 donation. A report from 2022 indicated that the cost-of-living crisis impacted residents in rural areas more severely than those in urban centers. Mrs. Ashley expressed that it had been “heart-breaking” to discover that many people could not afford to purchase food. She described the donations as “just about kindness at Christmas,” adding, “There’s no criteria to receive a box and it’s opened up a conversation about food and farming.” The farmer, who resides in the Eden Valley, mentioned her surprise at the financial contribution and her desire to “maximise the donation and do the kindness justice.” She informed BBC Radio Cumbria, “Between me, my husband Roy and my farmer friend Rebecca Wilson we decided to buy vegetables in bulk, divvy them up into hampers and donate those to the food bank.” The provisions were sourced from Preston, Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and other regions. Mrs. Ashley stated, “This is before we realised food banks don’t accept fresh food – so we came unstuck.” Mrs. Ashley explained that they subsequently chose to personally deliver the boxes to sheltered housing and accepted requests for specific locations via her social media platforms. She noted that a significant number of requests originated from West Cumbria. “Nobody should be in a position where they cannot afford food and, overwhelmingly, what I’m learning is that a lot of people cannot afford to buy food,” she remarked. She concluded, “It’s heart-breaking.” Mrs. Ashley commented that concerning food, “we’re fortunate as farmers that we’re in a privileged position.” She added, “People cannot get over why we are doing it not for money,” and emphasized that Christmas centered on extending “a little of that to somebody else who might be struggling”. For updates, follow BBC Cumbria on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram. Story submissions can be sent to northeastandcumbria@bbc.co.uk. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the content found on external websites. Information regarding our approach to external linking is available.