Inverness nursery cuts out tasty treats to give to food banks
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
Staff at an Inverness nursery have asked for donations to food banks in place of gifts this Christmas.
Rather than accept chocolates and biscuits at Les Enfants Nursery, the team there want parents to gift items which will help to feed families over the winter.
Parents from both the Westfield and Inshes nurseries are being asked to donate basic essentials such as tinned goods, loo rolls and pasta which will then be passed on to local charities.
Denise Barras, from Les Enfants, said staff put forward the idea because so many people are having a difficult time, as a result of being furloughed or losing their job.
Ms Barras said: “We have 300 children in the nurseries at Westfield and at Inshes and every year parents and children are very generous to us all.
“We often have chocolates and biscuits that last for a long time.
“But this year, one of the staff members suggested doing something a wee bit different and we were keen to get everyone involved.”
She continued: “While we have been open during the pandemic – we were offering the key workers hub and no one has lost their job or been furloughed – we know many other people who have not been so fortunate. So we wanted to ask parents and their children to donate basic food items to us, and we will donate to a food bank.
“Last year we received more than 100 boxes of sweets and biscuits. If we got the same quantity in food this would make a huge difference to families over the festive season.
“Not only will it be good for our waistlines, it will be a good example to the children that the staff are eating as healthily as they already are.
“It will also be a good lesson for our children that not everyone is well off, and that there are people out there that have very little.
“I would like to thank parents who have already supported us, hopefully it will make some families happier this Christmas.”
