The spirit of goodwill was in the air when The Salvation Army donated more than 200 food hampers to seniors yesterday.

The annual giveaway at the Botanical Gardens in Paget catered for 250 seniors, and the recipients also received gift cards redeemable at supermarkets across the island.

Corps officer Captain Cathy Esdaille said more than half of the recipients who registered for the drive had collected their packages in the morning.

She added: “The majority of the people have come, and when they came, they collected their groceries, gift cards and a chicken or a turkey.

“Every year we do this, we want to help the community because there are a lot of families who are in need.

“We just want to come alongside them and help them, especially during this Christmas season.”

Captain Esdaille said the food bank at The Salvation Army’s North Street Citadel receives donations from the community all year round, and at Christmastime additional items were set aside for the vulnerable.

She said: “We have a lot of support from the community, a lot of corporate support.

“Our goal is to show the love of God, to show people that we care and we don’t want to see anyone left out in the community.

“We want to make sure that families are having a good Christmas.”

On Wednesday, the organisation will host a similar exercise at the Botanical Gardens catering to families.