Harvest Festival, supporting St Martin's Garden Kitchen Pantry

This Harvest, we supported one of our QE Day partners, St Martin's Garden Kitchen Pantry, collecting shower gel, washing powder, tinned meat and vegetable and toilet rolls for the locally based operation.

We busily collected items for a week and then our House Captains helped to sort and pack our donations, ready to deliver.

Nick Higby who works for the Pantry, wrote a lovely letter to us, saying the following:

'On behalf of the St Martin's Garden Pantry team I'd like to say a huge thank you to everyone who donated to our Harvest Festival appeal. The Paragon is such a generous and supportive friend to our little project and we could not be more grateful for everything you do for us. 

The Pantry supports families who are struggling for one reason or another, and we are seeing more and more people signing up with each new school year. 

We don't operate quite like a food bank, one afternoon a week we open what looks like a small convenience store, each family pays £5 a week for their shop with us and the last time we did the maths we worked out that the average saving is more than £30. We rely entirely on donations from kind people like you. 

I can't begin to describe the difference this makes to our families. Some of them genuinely have weeks where they have to choose between electricity and food, basic toiletries and nappies, or laundry detergent or feminine hygiene products. It's a horrible place to be and we aim to be a supportive space where most importantly we don't just give handouts, we give them the dignity of going shopping without the fear of their card being refused when they get to the till.

Every tin of soup, every jar of coffee and every bottle of shower gel or box of washing powder, makes such an impact, so much more than you'd think. 

The Pantry thanks you all profusely and sincerely for everything you give, and for the open heart with which your families give to ours.'

Thank you to everyone who donated to the project, your kindness is truly appreciated.