Founder of Reverse Advent Calendar food-bank drive in Portsmouth named in News Year Honours
THE founder of a city-wide food bank donations drive said she is ‘amazed’ to be honoured as a News Year Honour recipient – as more than 5,000 gift and food items were donated this Christmas.
Hayley Wheeler, global student support and events co-ordinator at the University of Portsmouth, set up the donation campaign five years ago – and said this year has been one of the most successful to date.
The Reverse Advent Calendar brings together donations from across the city with food parcels being put together for Pompey in the Community and The Trussell Trust Food Bank in the King’s Church, in Somers Road.
With the food bank weighing all donations for its records, this year has seen more than a tonne of food and gifts donated thanks to resident’s generosity and Hayley’s hard work.
The Southsea resident said it was ‘amazing’ to be recognised by The News.
She added: ‘What a lovely surprise. I’m overwhelmed.’
And Hayley said she hopes to repeat the donation drive next year.
She said: ‘Every year I always wonder if people will get behind it – but people do and it’s fantastic. I’m always absolutely gobsmacked when donations come in.
‘People are really struggling at the moment. People are sitting in the dark and not putting their heating on just so they can feed their kids.’