Woodlands Primary School staff donate Christmas dinner to Rochdale Soup Kitchen

Woodlands staff worked with the Village Hotel to collect around 25 three-course meals and donate them to the Rochdale Soup Kitchen

Staff members from Woodlands Primary School in Heywood donated their work Christmas dinners to the Rochdale Soup Kitchen.

Staff from Woodlands had booked a Christmas party at the Village Hotel in Bury before Christmas. However, due to restrictions and the increase in Covid cases, many staff members opted out of the annual celebration.

Woodlands staff worked with the Village Hotel to collect around 25 three-course meals and donate them to the Rochdale Soup Kitchen, which made Christmas lunch for the homeless on Friday 24 December.

Marilyn Jones, who set up the Rochdale Soup Kitchen, said: “The Soup Kitchen Rochdale were extremely grateful To Woodland Primary School staff and the Village Hotel, Bury, for donating the food that they would have eaten last week for their Christmas celebration meal.

“There were at least 20 three-course meals some of which were given out early. The main courses were frozen and given out to our service users on Christmas Eve for them to have on Christmas Day.

“At the Soup Kitchen, we are always so grateful for anything that is donated to us to pass on to the people who use our service, but at this particular time of year, we are humbled by people’s generosity in giving what they can to make others’ lives that bit easier.

“It’s been a very difficult period since Covid hit us, but what we’ve found in that time since late March 2020 is that there is a real spirit of giving and we’re overwhelmed every day by the continued help and willingness to give to less fortunate people in our community.

“We can’t express our thanks enough to Woodland School and the Village Hotel for doing exactly that.”

Former Woman of Rochdale, Marilyn started the soup kitchen in 2013 from the back of a car with Vida Slater. It now runs from Champness Hall on Drake Street.

The Soup Kitchen is part of the Homelessness Network Food Delivery Service, supported by the council, comprised of the Sanctuary Trust, the Bond Board, Angie’s Angels, and several other local charities.