In the run up to Easter we will be running an AdLent campaign to boost donations and spread the word about the different kinds of item we need.
With Christmas over, foodbanks across the country usually see a dip in donations during the period from January to Easter. After the expense of Christmas and with colder weather still with us, many people who were just about managing to afford the essentials now find they can’t. We need to make sure our warehouse stays well-stocked with ALL the different items we use in our food parcels, especially with the added pressure that the school Easter Holidays will bring when families with school age children tend to experience greater need.
So what is AdLent?
While Lent is an important time in the Christian calendar, it’s also a time that many people, religious or not, choose to give up certain luxuries and to think about others. In the spirit of an Advent Calendar, we’ll be asking people to donate from different categories of food or essentials over the 40 days (or approximately six weeks) of Lent. So instead of giving something up for Lent, why not consider donating an item each day or each week?
How does it work?
Either donate an item each week or each day over the 40 days of Lent. As 40 items is a lot, why not get together with friends or family and donate 40 items between you? Churches, schools and local businesses often join in with AdLent. The themed weeks can help us think about what goes into food parcels and how we can do our best to make sure the basic needs of people in our community are met. We will run weekly reminders on social media of each weekly category.
Here are our six easy-to-remember weekly categories:
Week 1: Starting Weds 14th Feb – DRINKS – teabags, instant coffee, long-life milks, alternative milks, hot chocolate, long-life fruit juice, squash/cordials
Week 2: Starting Weds 21st Feb – TINNED FRUIT & VEG – tinned potatoes, tinned carrots, tinned peas, tinned sweetcorn, tinned peaches, tinned pears, tinned pineapple
Week 3: Starting Weds 28th Feb – LONG-LIFE PUDDINGS – tinned/cartons custard, sponge puddings, tinned rice pudding, tinned fruit cocktail, tinned fruit ANY, cereal & cake bars
Week 4: Starting Weds 6th March – TINNED PROTEIN – Tinned hot meat: stew, mince, meatballs, chilli con carne, bolognaise. Hot dogs – tins or jars. Tinned cold meats: ham, corned beef, luncheon meat, spam. Tinned Fish: tuna, mackerel, sardines. Tinned Vegetarian Meals: vegetarian chilli, bean stews, macaroni cheese etc.
Week 5: Starting Weds 13th March – INSTANT FOODS – Instant porridge, ReadyBrek, instant noodles, pot noodles, pasta’n’sauce sachets, snack bars, cereal bars, biscuits
Week 6: Starting Weds 20th March – NON-FOOD ITEMS – Bars of soap, deodorant, shampoo & shower gel, washing-up liquid, laundry powder/sheets/liquid, loo cleaner/bleach, surface cleaner
You can download the full 6 Week list here: AdLent 2024 Themed Weeks for Donations during Lent
If you, your workplace, school, church, club, or business would like to collect for us over these six weeks, we’d be incredibly grateful. You’ll be helping to make sure that no-one in our district goes hungry. If your collection is a large one and you’d like us to collect it from you, please do get in touch.
Our warehouse at Unit 715b, Street 3, Thorp Arch Trading Estate is open on Mondays 10am – Midday; and Thursdays 2pm – 4pm for donations to be dropped off. Any questions, please email us at [email protected]
Thank you,
Everyone at Wetherby and District Foodbank
