Summer treats for Chelmsford's children

School children in Chelmsford who are at risk of holiday hunger and whose families are receiving essential food parcels from The Salvation Army are now also getting an extra treat to put a smile on their faces thanks to the church and charity.

Kind-hearted members of The Salvation Army have been making up goody bags for the children which contain fruity snacks, non-chocolate biscuits and other treats for them to enjoy over the summer.

82 children, including some that are living in a women’s refuge have been receiving summer holiday food parcels from the church and charity during July and August, with approximately 300 parcels distributed so far.

“Since lockdown began, we’ve seen people in our community struggling because they’re not receiving their disability benefits or experiencing delays with their payments. Others have experienced a drop in income after being put on furlough and we’ve noticed that many are having to prioritise paying their bills over buying food.” said Linda Fisher of The Salvation Army in Chelmsford who is organising the goody bags with her husband, Trevor.

“We wanted to do something special for the children in Chelmsford who usually get free school meals and for who lockdown is undoubtedly a very unsettling experience plus they’re at risk of going hungry. We spoke to some of the children who come to The Salvation Army in Chelmsford to get some ideas and that’s when we decided to provide some of the local youngsters we’re supporting with some treats.”

Every two weeks for the six weeks of the school summer holiday, each child will receive a goody bag from The Salvation Army in Chelmsford packed full of a selection of individually-wrapped goodies.

The project is funded by The Salvation Army in Chelmsford and delivered by volunteers.

“During lockdown we have seen a 100% increase in the amount of food parcels that we’re distributing in our local community and we’ve thankful to have had the support of Debenhams, Lillypuds, Pearl’s Cakes and Tesco to do this” added Linda Fisher.

“I’m also very glad that we’ve been able to give the children some happy memories of their lockdown summer holidays. The feedback has been great and the children love the bags and the parents are so pleased that the children can have something to look forward to during the school holidays.”

And it’s not just the children of Chelmsford and their families who are singing the praises of Linda and Trevor’s hard work and thoughtfulness during the lockdown summer holidays.

Majors Tracey and Ian Mountford are the corps officers at Chelmsford’s Salvation Army church at 70 Baddow Road and head up the organisation’s operations in the city.

“The Salvation Army has always been at the heart of the community in Chelmsford and we have been very pro-active during this pandemic and the overwhelmingly positive response and willingness of our church members – including Linda and Trevor and Jo Thomas who has been coordinating the parcels, and volunteers to do this work during lockdown has been amazing" said Major Tracey Mountford.

"I am very proud of everyone and the way they have all pulled together at this difficult time has been nothing short of inspirational.”