HUNDREDS of people received a selection of Christmas presents and food boxes to help them over the festive weekend.

The Salvation Army in Harwich handed out gifts and food boxes to families and individuals in need this Christmas because of the generous donations given by local groups, schools and the general public, including the Harwich and Dovercourt Rotary Club.

This year 260 children and 190 adults received an assortment of presents and 110 families benefitted from a food box to help them through the Christmas weekend.

Lieutenants Shawn and Vic Moye, leaders of The Salvation Army in Harwich, were thrilled with the response and said: “Once again the community of Harwich, Dovercourt and the surrounding villages have excelled themselves and have donated so generously to our appeal that we have been able to meet all of the requests that have come to us through local schools, social services and local groups.

"We are so grateful to everyone who has given us money, toys and food making our appeal successful.”

Morrisons community champion Cally Short was able to invite customers on The Salvation Army’s behalf, as their own volunteers were prevented to doing this due to Covid restrictions.

Lieutenant Moye said: “We were thrilled that Morrisons, in Dovercourt, made it possible for Cally to collect food donations for us, this gave us a great selection of food to add to the food boxes so that every family referred to us had the basics and also Christmas treats too."

In addition to the donations members of the community also volunteered their time to help pack food boxes and choose suitable toys in a Covid-safe way including town councillors Ivan and Jo Henderson, members of staff from Harwich and Dovercourt Funeral Service, Morrisons and members from The Salvation Army and other local churches.