The Big Difference: Easter treats for the children of Southampton
On Tuesday 1 April, Councillor Jacqui Rayment, Councillor Sue Blatchford, and Councillor Warwick Payne joined The Big Difference team as they distributed 8,000 parcels of chocolate eggs and paint by numbers Easter pails to twenty-five schools across Southampton
The Big Difference is a food distribution charity that works with over one hundred partner charities, community groups, and schools in and around Southampton to help tackle poverty and food waste.
For the second year running, The Big Difference has supplied schools with Easter goods to ensure all children across Southampton can celebrate the Easter break with a treat.
Seven vans were filled with items collected from The Big Difference’s partner The Silver Crane Company Limited in Poole. The project involved many volunteers, and a team dedicated to storing and labelling all the stock before distribution via a hub in Woolston. The Woolston hub is a partnership between The Big Difference and Southampton City Council, and has been used for the last four years to store food, arrange collections, deliveries, and more to support local people.
Councillor Jacqui Rayment said:
“I have been a huge champion for The Big Difference for years now. Sanjay and the rest of the team work tirelessly to ensure the people of Southampton don’t go hungry and food doesn’t end up in landfill. In such uncertain and troubling times for many, I am really proud to see such a fantastic, community focused initiative that captures the spirit of our city and our desire to help others,”
Sanjay Mall, Founder of The Big Difference said:
“This project is about bringing joy to families as the cost of living just gets worse for poorer people. I am so proud of my team, Kelly, Nathan, Aaron and all our fantastic volunteers for continuing to show up for the people of Southampton. The Big Difference would not be able to do what we do without the work of our remarkable volunteers and partners.”
Four-thousand paint by number pails will also be delivered to hospital wards, women’s refuge charities, and other organisations that help vulnerable people across Southampton.
More information can be found on The Big Difference.
