Mum shocked after people ask for basic items in Christmas food parcels

Caroline Harroe feels it is a sign of the cost-of-living crisis that people just want basic household items in Christmas parcels this year

A mum of seven who distributes Christmas parcels to struggling families has said basic groceries are at the top of people's wish lists this year.

Caroline Harroe and her family have gathered donations for the parcels for the past five years.

They usually contain a couple of luxury items.

But Ms Harroe said people just wanted help stocking cupboards with staples like rice and pasta this year.

She said: "When I ask questions about what would you like to give your children, that's the least of their worries.

"People are just wanting to make sure they're fed. I find that really hard."

Ms Harroe, from East Leake, Nottinghamshire, runs the small-scale project herself and collects donations of food from members of her family, friends and some local businesses, then makes up the parcels with the help of her home-schooled children.

She then distributes the parcels to people who have contacted her via social media.

And she believes the informal nature of her project helps people feel more comfortable, because it is just one local family helping others, rather than an organised charity.

"If someone says they need help, we trust they need help, we don't scrutinise them or ask questions," she said.

"But often what happens is they tell us their story and we try and hook them up with other support services if we can to make sure we're not just fighting the fire, but putting out the flames."

'People face shame'

This year 10 families with a range of differing circumstances have asked her for support, including one family which lost everything in a house fire because they had not taken out house insurance.

She said: "The reason why they hadn't got insurance is because the cost of living had risen so much they had cut corners, and the things to go were things like insurance.

"I could see how easy it would be to make that decision, 'I need to save some money so I'm not going to pay that bill in order to pay this other one', and actually in the end it cost them a great deal because they lost everything.

"A lot of the people that we help face a lot of shame in stating that they need some help.

"I've met people in car parks at night, or they've come to the house to collect their goods simply because they don't want their neighbours or friends to know how much they're struggling and that they're in need of charity."

Some of the items in one of Ms Harroe's Christmas parcels

As well as groceries, the families with children receive a gift and a chocolate selection box.

Ms Harroe includes wrapping paper so parents can wrap the gift provided for their children to still feel involved.

A number of families who have received help in the past now pass on their own donations.

Ms Harroe said: "Often we hear about people who have sacrificed their own Christmas dinner to provide the groceries for a family.

"We're not talking about people that have a lot of money supporting people that are in poverty. We're just talking about other people who are members of a community, helping neighbours through a difficult time."

"I want my children to understand they're not in luxury but they are in privilege and that's because we've got warmth and a roof over their heads and food in the cupboard.

"There's something really important about them appreciating what they've got and learning to look out for other people."