A team of volunteers has been packing and delivering special Christmas food packages to families and individuals in need in and around Derby.

The volunteers, including a team from Rolls-Royce, gathered at St Peter’s in the City, Derby, to help pack hampers for Christmas Lunch on Jesus – a project that provides low-income families and individuals with a Christmas meal.

The volunteers packed 300 hampers which will feed around 1,200 people.

The hampers contained everything needed for an enjoyable Christmas lunch, along with a candle and card from the team.

• See pictures from the event here [Flickr]

Volunteers started preparing early in the day, setting out tables containing the various elements of the meal and packing portions of fresh vegetables to go in the hampers.

Then volunteers went around the tables with bags, filling them with the ingredients for tailor-made Christmas dinners for each recipient.

Once the bags were packed, yet another stream of volunteers distributed the hampers to people in Derby and surrounding areas who were nominated by Social Services, GPs, housing associations, women’s refuges, charities and other organisations.

The project costs in the region of £15,000 each year and is financed through donations from businesses, churches, local trusts and individual giving.