A Catholic charity has launched a food drive in a bid to ease pressure on struggling families over Christmas.

The idea for the Reverse Advent Calendar Food Drive came from Elaine Kelly, a parishioner at St Patrick’s Church in Smith’s, and friend Ricky Lopes after they saw a similar campaign advertised in the US.

Ms Kelly said: “We saw the advert and thought there are a lot of people in need who don’t know where their next meal is coming from and also a lot who are not in that position who are willing to help those in need.

“We wanted to encourage those who can to give back to the community.“

Ms Kelly approached St Vincent de Paul Society, a Catholic charity, which agreed to sponsor the project.

All items donated will go to the St Vincent de Paul Society and Salvation Army food programmes.

The items will be distributed in the first week of January.

Ms Kelly explained: “The drop off dates are after Christmas at the request of the recipients as supplies are always in need of a boost after the holidays.”

People can put aside an item a day until Christmas Eve.

Items asked for include canned vegetables, boxes of pasta, packets of rice, canned soup, canned milk and disinfectant wipes.

Catholic churchgoers can hand in their donations in at Mass on January 2 and 3.

Other members of the public can drop off gifts at St Patrick’s on December 30 from 5pm to 7pm.

Karen Leseur, the president of the St Vincent de Paul Society, said: “We know through our ongoing work in the community that many people are struggling to put food on their tables.

“This is true every year, but 2020 has been an especially difficult year and many more are in need of support.

“We liked the whole concept of adding one item of food or other necessity to a box each day.

“It seems like a simple, yet practical and tangible way to get families to focus on giving to those in need during the Season of Advent.

“I suspect that younger children will love adding an item each day while those that are older may even consider stepping it up and purchasing some of the items with their own pocket money.

“No one is ever too young to learn the joy of giving.”

For more information, contact Ms Kelly at ekelly@ibl.bm or Ricky Lopes at ricclopes@outlook.com.

For information on the St Vincent de Paul society, visit https://www.facebook.com/CatholicDioceseBermuda