The festive hamper of luxury food that one family in need received was most welcome. But it was the green tinsel adorning the gift that caught the attention of the children of the house. The youngsters removed it and fashioned it into a Christmas tree shape, alongside which they placed the presents they had also been given.
“Those little girls didn’t have a Christmas tree in their house, or any other presents,” explained the founder of Operation Community Hamper, Charlotte Churchill. “It’s stories like this that really resonate in our hearts. It’s why I’m so passionate about what we are doing.”
Charlotte started the initiative in 2020 during the pandemic, appealing via social media for gifts to support vulnerable families and individuals at Christmas. Through her job in child protection, she was aware of the growing numbers of people using food banks to meet their basic needs. Her idea was to provide some cheer by offering families high quality food and some of the seasonal treats that better-off folk take for granted.
The hampers include items such as biscuits, pickles, chutney, mince pies, Christmas pudding, Christmas crackers, and chocolates as well as tea, coffee and hot chocolate.
The project increased rapidly during the cost-of-living crisis. In its first year, Operation Community Hamper (OCH), as it was then called, delivered 19 hampers; this year Charlotte and her huge team of volunteers are aiming for 1,000 to be distributed across Bristol, South Gloucestershire, Bath and beyond. The project has expanded to include bespoke Christmas gifts and in 2024 the intention is also to provide blankets.
“We operate on referrals from professional establishments such as schools, social services and health professionals,” said Charlotte.
OCH is helping people across a wide area, and Charlotte admitted that she had never intended to start something on such a scale.
“I am humbled – and a little nervous – by the momentum that keeps building,” she said.
OCH now operates all year round, offering help where needed, such as providing Easter eggs and funding enrichment activities for vulnerable children; hence the name change in July 2024 when it became a registered charity, with five trustees and a committee of 20.
Fortunately, the network of volunteer support from individuals and volunteers has grown too. Companies and organisations that have supported OCH over the years include Bristol Rovers Football Club, Gas Girls, Gloucestershire County Cricket Club, Robins Foundation, First Bus, BrisDoc and many others.
Ken Major, one of the charity’s volunteers, told the Voice that support from businesses and from the community was vital: “We are able to safely store the items, thanks to the support we receive from businesses, who provide us not only with secure storage facilities throughout the year but also rooms to use when it comes to sorting items as well as preparing and finally creating the Christmas food hampers.
“Our focus is on helping people in the community and without the community itself, we wouldn’t be able to do anything. After all, it is the community who donate items for the hampers, provide us with the information for referrals to make the hampers. They also give away their time to help throughout the year,” he said.
To find out more, visit: operationcommunityhamper.co.uk
OCH will also be running a Carol Bus in Bristol during the second week of December. The bus will reach Bradley Stoke Voice readers on Sunday 8 December between 6-8pm, when it travels through Bradley Stoke, Little Stoke, Stoke Gifford and Abbey Wood. Check social media for updates.
By Gianina Turner