Every year in the lead up to Christmas, Calderhead High School asks pupils to donate items to our local food bank. This year the parcels will be going to local charity, Paul’s Parcels.

Pupils are asked to  donate some of the items listed below in order to make up food parcels:

• non perishable items such as tinned goods and pasta
• cereals and crisps
• teabags, coffee and sugar
• basic toiletries and household cleaning products

The donation boxes can be found in the nurture room and outside the sixth year common room, or can also be given to any member of the prefect team.

This is a whole school house event with the house with the most donated items winning house points that go towards the end of year trophy.

Items need to be in by Friday 18th December and we would be most grateful if you would donate to this very worthy cause.

Paul’s Parcels is a food poverty prevention charity, operational in the town of Shotts and the villages of Harthill, Salsburgh, Allanton and Hartwood.  They began in 2018 with a Christmas campaign which aimed to provide families with a 3 course Christmas dinner, delivered to their homes. On Christmas Day they provided food for 98 adults and children as well as a further 38 food parcels with surplus food donated.
However, realising the scale of food poverty/ insecurity within the area and after being messaged and approached to ask if they could help provide food, they set up a food bank in April 2019. They began gathering donations and asking families in need to contact them. Following lockdown in March 2020, the charity’s service was in high demand and they  began helping furloughed and self employed families as well. In April 2020 they had outgrown our room in the Scout Hall and had to find bigger premises so moved to their current location in Dykehead. In May 2020 Paul’s Parcels were granted charitable status and are now Scottish Charity SC050157.

The charity is called  Paul’s Parcels in memory of Tracey’s youngest brother Paul, who sadly passed away age 37. Paul was a manager within the Charity sector and it was his life’s work, so when it came to naming the project, it seemed only fitting. The volunteers who work with the charity are  Tracey, Gerry, Isabel, Kathleen, Gemma, Kaitlyn and our very own S6 pupil, Kayla.