Jacqueline Williams has worked with the Beacon Centre to collect food for hundreds of families in St Mellons since July
A RETIRED teacher who helped feed dozens of families in St Mellons by collecting food from people’s doorsteps is looking for donations to her Christmas collection.
Jacqueline Williams first delivered a car load of items to a food bank during the first lock down, after appealing for donations on social media. Now she is planning a Christmas food collection on Wednesday December 2.
“I thought actually you’re mobile Jack, you can do this, so that was when I went and put the thing out which said I would collect from your doorstep, and that’s what I’ve been doing ever since,” explained Ms Williams.
“I filled my car completely – it’s a Hyundai Santa Fe with a big boot! Back seat, footwells, the lot. I couldn’t see out of the back.”
Ms Williams has since organised seven collections and collaborated with several community groups, including Hope St Mellons, which printed 1,000 flyers advertising the service, and Meadow Lane Primary School, which used her deliveries to make food parcels for families.
In her last collection, Ms Williams collected two and-a-half car loads of donations.
Since July she has taken her collections to the Beacon Centre who distribute the food to the community along with donations received from Fairshare, a food poverty charity.
Together they have collected enough for over 400 people, said Wayne Lee, Community Development Officer at the Beacon Centre.
“Jackie’s been incredibly hands-on, incredibly driven, and incredibly motivated – and you can just sense the heart that she has for the local community,” added Wayne.
Ms Williams said she lost income from her piano lessons during the lock down and missed out on the government’s support scheme for the self-employed.
“My contribution to this cause is my time and fuel,” she added. “I can’t afford to donate as much as I’d like, but the time I spend on this is hours.
“I can think of three of my lovely people who donated who have been laid off from work and they’re still donating, which is incredible.
“I’ve had people who used the food bank then donated themselves, because they feel they want to give back in some way.”
Ms Williams said she already had half a boot ready to go for her Christmas food collection. “The plan is to have some Christmas treats for these families and, if possible, to reach out to some of the elderly who may be feeling isolated,” she said.
If you live in St Mellons and would like to donate to Ms William’s Christmas food collection, contact the Beacon Centre on 029 2036 2888 between 9am-5pm Tuesday to Friday.
