Bicester charity launches Christmas appeal to feed 500 local families

Just £31 can provide a sack of essential food and household supplies to a family in need across Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire this Christmas.

A Bicester man who never forgot the kindness of receiving a food parcel when he was just nine years old is now helping hundreds of families facing hardship at Christmas and he's calling on local people and businesses to help him do it again.

Lawrence Patrick founded Sacks of Hope in 2019, packing 24 sacks of food on his living room floor with the help of friends. Seven years later, the initiative has grown into a major community effort, delivering 504 sacks to families across Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire last December.

Now Lawrence and his team of more than 40 volunteers are preparing to do it all again, with a target of reaching 500 families this Christmas.

Run by the Mehiel Foundation, Sacks of Hope provides families with everyday essentials including rice, pasta, tinned vegetables, fresh fruit and vegetables, and household basics.

For Lawrence, the project is deeply personal.

‘I was nine years old when a parcel arrived for us and I have never forgotten how it felt so in 2019 I decided to do the same for families near me.

‘My living room filled up with 24 sacks and a lot of help from friends. Seven Christmases later, we deliver more than 500, and every one is packed by people from the same towns as the families who receive them.’

For families already struggling to make ends meet, Christmas can be an especially challenging time. Rising heating costs, the pressure of festive spending and the loss of free school meals during the holidays can put additional strain on household budgets.

Sacks of Hope works with local schools, foodbanks and family support teams to ensure its donations reach the people who need them most. Last year, 32 partner organisations helped distribute the sacks.

A headteacher at one of the partner schools explained just how much difference the initiative makes:

‘Every December we see families who are quietly going without. A sack arriving before the holidays means parents can stop worrying about the cupboards for a fortnight. The children notice that someone thought of them.’

This year's packing and deliveries will take place at Elmsbrook community centre in Bicester between 15th and 17th December, when volunteers will come together to fill and distribute hundreds of sacks.

The charity operates without paid staff, meaning donations go directly towards providing food and essential items for families.

And Lawrence hopes local businesses will get behind the appeal, whether by sponsoring a single sack or funding several.

‘Every sack needs someone to pay for it. £31 fills one. Last year a local business sponsored 30 in one go. If a few more firms in Bicester, Oxford and Aylesbury did the same, we would reach every family our partners have asked us to help.’

With Christmas approaching, Lawrence has a simple message for the local community: a relatively small donation can make a very real difference to a family facing hardship.

Just £31 could help make Christmas a little brighter for a family in need.

How to help

Sponsor a sack: Donate £31 at sacksofhope.org to provide essential food and household items for a local family.

Businesses: Sponsor a batch of sacks – 10 sacks cost £310, while 30 cost £930. To arrange corporate sponsorship, email [email protected].