A CHARITY handing out free food in Flintshire and Wrexham this Christmas is appealing for help in finding more collection points. 

Given to Shine, a local charity which support for those struggling financially, is running the scheme on Christmas Eve for its sixth successive year. 

The charity is currently collecting food which will be handed out free-of-charge to people from thousands of households across the area. 

The food provided will be predominantly supermarket surplus, food that would otherwise exceed it’s best before date during store closures and be destined for the bin.

A Given to Shine spokesperson said: "We cannot allow this to happen, perfectly edible food will be made available to all, meaning that nothing ends up in landfill, nor will those struggling financially go without.

"However, given the current cost of living crisis, things will be a little different this year and we need all hands on deck and as many venues and volunteers as possible, venues in every town and village across the two counties, and further afield if you’re able to send your own volunteers to collect the food."

The food available will be predominantly seasonal veg, probably bakery and possibly fruit and other perishables.

READ MORE: Landlord at the Turf reveals 'wonderful' festive gesture

Given to Shine said: "Last year we had venues and beneficiaries demanding meat and protein items - this is never guaranteed and a rarity.

"We cannot deliver this food to homes and you absolutely must bring your own bags or boxes as none will be provided on the day."

So far, the following food collection points and times have been arranged: 

Wrexham

  • Acton - Acton Community Resource Centre, off Overton Way, LL12 7LB - 6pm
  • Bradley - Bradley Village Hall, Glan Llyn Road, LL114BB - 6pm
  • Caia Park - The Hub, Caia Park Partnership, Prince Charles Road, LL13 8TH - 6.30pm-8pm
  • Chirk - Chirk Tavern, 2 Hand Terrace, Chirk, LL14 5EU - 6pm
  • Penycae - Church of the Nazarene, Stryt Issa, LL142PN- 6pm
  • Llay - Church of the Nazarene, Nant-y-Gaer Road, Llay, LL12 0SG, 6pm-9pm

Flintshire

  • Bagillt - The Boot and Ship, High St, Bagillt, CH6 6HE
  • Mold 1 - Mold Community Shop, Daniel Owen Centre, Daniel Owen Square, CH71AP
  • Mold 2 - The Counselling Hub Charity Shop, Wrexham Street, CH71ET - 7pm

Given to Shine said it is hoping to confirm venues in Ruabon, Buckley and Hightown, as well as second locations in Caia and Penycae, but needs confirmation from respective venues.

The charity said: "We desperately need venues in as many villages as possible make food available in every area, this year is likely to be the most popular and needed for residents with the cost of living crisis hitting hard. Most venues aren’t announcing a closing time and plan on remaining open until all the food has been collected.

"We have absolutely no preference, from neighbours setting up pasting tables on the local greens, to pubs, community centres, churches, local businesses, absolutely anywhere that food can be laid out for people to collect works for us."

READ MORE: Community garden project to host Christmas open day with donkeys and Santa Claus

Last year, the charity enabled over 16,000 people to access fresh food in one evening, saving over 70 tonnes of food from landfill.

The charity said: "We need volunteers to help unload the vans - this is incredibly hard, heavy and tiring work.

"We need volunteers to split the food equally inside a central location to ensure each venue gets a fair split. Some venues will be busier than others (we have years of experience so can predict the busier locations and arrange adequate supplies). 

"We need volunteers to take the food from the central location to venues, this can either be in the form of venues providing their own volunteers, or members of the public willing to travel to a location that a team leader allocates them to."

It is also appealing for financial donations, or fuel donations to run vans to collect huge quantities of food. 

Anyone wishing to contact Given to Shine can so via its Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/GivenToShine/

  • Your Money Matters is a campaign launched by us and our sister titles across Newsquest to help you overcome the surge in the cost of living. This year has seen a whole host of household price increases — from the energy price cap rise to surging inflation and food prices — costing your family hundreds or even thousands of pounds extra per year. We’re making it our mission to look out for your cash, offering money-saving deals, competitions, giveaways and insightful stories from your community on the impact this cost-of-living crisis is having on our readers. The worldwide energy crisis exacerbated by the Ukraine invasion, the financial impact of the Covid pandemic, record inflation figures and a surge in the cost of goods, fuel and travel means we will all feel the pinch. Through our newspaper, we want to do what we can to help make your cash go further because we know your money matters.