WEST Somerset Food Cupboard received an unprecedented amount of food and money donated to the charity this Christmas.

Donations were made by individuals, workplaces and different organisations together with sup-ermarket collections at Tesco’s, the Co-op and the Spar shop in Williton, Budgeons in Wheddon Cross and several village shops.

Churches of every denomination across the district responded to their request for everyday foods as well as Festive Fare and as a result they put together and distributed 353 parcels in the space of three weeks.

Special boxes were put together for those with specific dietary needs, such as vegetarian, gluten free, and diabetic as well as Christmas carriers full of no-cook Christmas goodies for the homeless, each of these also being decorated with tinsel and baubles and a hand-made Christmas card.

"It has been a pretty exhausting few weeks but so worthwhile," said Christine Payne, coordinator of West Somerset Food Cupboard (WSFC).

"Now the heartbreaking notes of thanks have started arriving at the church from recipients who have told us of the difficulties they are currently facing and how they thought that no-one really cared about their plight and the tears they shed when our Christmas parcels were delivered."

Christine would like to thank all the volunteers who worked on the Christmas packages.