Caring at Christmas and the meaning of Community

As Christmas fast approaches, there are some amongst us who may not be looking forward to the holiday as much as others.

One such reason is that a slap-up Christmas dinner in good company has long been the cherished centrepiece of the festive period, and rising levels of homelessness, poverty and isolation mean that some will - literally and figuratively - be left out in the cold during the festive period.

Community is in our name for good reason. One of the traditional roles of community has been to ensure that those who find themselves in need can rely on more fortunate others to help them during such times.

For the second year running, The Community Farm has teamed up with homeless charity Caring in Bristol, Josh Eggleton of Pony and Trap, and FareShare South West to create a pioneering and unique experience for those facing hardship this Christmas: the Caring at Christmas project will work to provide them with a weeklong menu of three hot, restaurant-quality meals a day over the festive period, starting on the 23rd December.

Notable area restaurants have been invited by Josh Eggleton to help plan the menu, and Caring in Bristol have teamed up with zero-waste food charity FareShare to source surplus food from the region; we at The Community Farm will provide organic, local produce to ensure that the meals are well-rounded and nutritious.

By purchasing a special Caring at Christmas veg box or by giving the gift of Caring at Christmas meal vouchers, you too can be a part of this initiative. All monies raised will be used to supply organic veg to the project. Your generosity will have a direct, positive impact on the lives of those sleeping rough or otherwise vulnerable in Bristol this Christmas.

Last year, your involvement led to the donation of £1,300 worth of organic produce to the project. That converts to a staggering 2,307 meals!

Let’s try to beat that figure this year - as a community. We’ll provide an update on how we did in January.

Until then, we wish you a very merry (and organic) Christmas and a happy (and local) New Year!