Thousands of families in County Durham will be given some extra Christmas cheer through a food box scheme.
Durham County Council has used £81,000 of its Household Support Fund (HSF) allocation to purchase 2,000 support boxes for families this Christmas.
Working with Feeding Families, the boxes contain staple food products as well as some extra festive treats, and sweets for children.
The food boxes will be given to families who quality for HSF assistance and have been referred through the council’s children’s services.
Cllr Alan Shield, Durham County Council’s cabinet member for equality and inclusion, said: “We have been awarded HSF money to help us in providing support to low income and vulnerable households.
“Christmas can be an expensive time of year for all families but, for some, making sure they have enough food for everyone during the school holidays can be extremely difficult.
“Our food boxes are there to make sure these families can put nutritious meals on the table, and no-one goes hungry over the festive period.”
For more information about support available for those struggling with food costs, visit durham.gov.uk/helpwithfoodcosts
For more information about the support the council offers families, please visit durham.gov.uk/helpforfamilies