School Makes Record Grocery Collection for Charity

Hampshire Collegiate School pupils celebrated their harvest festival recently by creating a food mountain of donated groceries, for destitute families in Southampton, Portsmouth and Salisbury.

The school worked closely with The Poitiers Project, a food delivery service run by the Missionaries of the Company of Mary, who provide daily meals for asylum seekers and families torn apart by unresolved issues and debt associated with alcohol and drug addictions.

The groceries were amassed for a school assembly led by the Vicar of Romsey. the Reverend Tim Sledge, after which they were collected by Paul Penfold, Project Manager for the Missionaries of the Company of Mary.

“A massive thank you must go to everyone at Hampshire Collegiate School for this huge effort,”  said Paul. “The Poitiers Project has never seen such a large donation.  We can now offer our services to more people than planned over the winter months.”
 
Hector MacDonald, Principal of Hampshire Collegiate School said: “We were stunned by the amount of food that was donated, and my heartfelt thanks go to the pupils and parents for their generosity in supporting this worthwhile charity.”

Photograph: Pupils at Hampshire Collegiate School with their food mountain joined by the Reverend Tim Sledge and Paul Penfold, Project Manager for the Missionaries of the Company of Mary.