Foodbank Christmas Hamper Project 2025

Every year, we come together to make Christmas brighter for the people in our community who are facing hunger, by donating and distributing Christmas hampers.

This year, you can donate Christmas treats and winter essentials to help people right here in Cambridge. Too many people are facing a difficult Christmas period, unsure of how they'll be able to make Christmas special for themselves and their families. By taking part, you're spreading joy and hope to your neighbours who are going without life's essentials.

How to give a hamper:

1. Choose your hamper type

You can choose to give a hamper containing Christmas treats and winter essentials, or a hamper that includes only winter essentials. Find the full list of what's included below.

1. Select your drop off day

Hampers can be dropped off at 6 Nuffield Close on Sunday 7th December between 2pm and 5pm or on Tuesday 9th December between 4pm and 7pm. We need to know when you're coming so that we can let people receiving hampers know when to expect them

1. Put your hamper together and drop it off

Bring your items along in a strong bag for life, ensuring that everything has a use by date of 25th December or later.

What to include

Please include 8 to 10 items from the following list of winter essentials in your hamper:

• Tinned soup
• Tinned ham or corned beef
• Tinned tuna or salmon
• Tinned pulses or beans
• Tinned curry or stew (vegetable or meat)
• Pasta sauce
• Crackers
• Shower gel or soap
• Long-life sponge puddings
• Jar of jam
• Rice pudding or custard
• Small jar of instant coffee or box of 80 tea bags

If you have also selected Christmas treats, please include one of each of the following in addition to your winter essentials:

• Children's chocolates
• Adult chocolates
• Crisps
• Chutney
• Mince pies, yule log or Christmas pudding
• Sweet biscuits
• Nuts
• Dried fruit

A hamper of seasonal treats might be the only gift that some recipients will be given this Christmas. It's a simple act of kindness that creates hope and joy at what can be a difficult time of year.

We're aiming to collect enough hampers for everyone who is a member of our Fairbite Food Clubs to receive one in time for Christmas. Fairbite Food Clubs are aimed at people facing longer-term hunger and hardship across Cambridge. That's roughly 600 hampers.

Once we have enough hampers for every Fairbite Food Club member who requests one, any additional items and cupboard staples you donate will go to people facing a financial crisis that means they are unable to buy food over the winter. The items will be distributed through our Foodbank Welcome Centres to make sure that we can keep helping people facing hunger, and brightening the darker winter months.

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