Last year Dundee Bairns provided over 650 children in over 350 families across Dundee City with food hampers and vouchers which helped to support them over the school Christmas holiday period.

These families were identified by school workers as those facing food insecurity in particular and who may struggle to get by at a time where the pressure of Christmas and providing for children is traditionally at it's highest.

Some feedback from school workers delivering our provision to the families they have referred:

Christmas is historically an especially difficult time for many families facing poverty, and this year the stress and pressure for many is compounded further by steeply rising fuel costs, cuts to Universal Credit, rising unemployment and the heavily increased cost of living.

This year Dundee Bairns has partnered up again with the amazing staff team at The Apex Hotel in Dundee, who are making up food hampers for us to distribute.

We are also very lucky to have the support of Smiths Interconnect, TSB, Dryburgh Athletic, Brightsolid, staff at Woodlea Children's Centre, DCA, Scott Brothers to help us make our support more than basic food provision.

This year we are also providing art bags made up by the team at Dundee Contemporary Arts, as well as linking up support from the Courier's Tokens for Toys campaign, to help us to add board games to our packs so that families have some activities that they can do together.

Reasons for referral are wide and varied - some are simply struggling to make ends meet, others are facing unimaginable circumstances that no bairn should ever be in.

This is why we hope to lighten the load for families through what can be a very difficult time for too many.

Help us to help Dundee's Bairns this Christmas.