Pupils show true meaning of Christmas as Project Ketchup donates hundreds of gifts to disadvantage children
“We didn’t want to think of other children our age waking up on Christmas day morning without any presents”
The words of children from Whitburn Church of England Academy after donating hundreds of toys, sweets and other gifts to a local foodbank to ensure disadvantaged teenagers don’t wake up to an empty stocking this Christmas.
The Project Ketchup campaign was the idea of pupils from the school’s Chaplaincy Team following a visit to the Key to Life Foodbank in South Shields.
Year 10 pupil Evie Thompson, 14, said: “We were visiting the foodbank and one of the volunteers told us about wrapping a bottle of ketchup up as a present for a teenage boy as he didn’t have any presents for Christmas and the foodbank didn’t have anything left to give him - that’s why we have called this Project Ketchup.
“It really upset us to hear this story and as a group we decided we wanted to do something to help.”
Fellow Chaplaincy Team member Kathleen Ewart, 15, added: “I know I will be waking up on Christmas morning to presents and it just really upset me to think other people won’t - particularly when I know it’s people my age.”
Under the banner of Project Ketchup, the team launched their campaign to publicise the issue and to both raise money to buy gifts and collect donations of presents.
As well as raising £184 through a stall at the school’s Christmas Fair the pupils also collected donations of an array of gifts for secondary school aged children.
Year 7 pupil Rodrigo Faranca Deossantos, 11, said: “We got hundreds of present donated from families and staff at the school. There’s toys, footballs, games, gift sets and loads of sweets.
Tommy Adams-Norton, 11, added: “It just seemed really unfair that we will be getting presents whilst other children won’t and so I wanted to do something to help. It also makes you feel grateful for the presents that you get.”
Today (December 17) volunteers from the foodbank arrived at the school to collect the donated items.
Volunteer Emma Short said: “The van is bursting full of gifts. When the kids started rolling up with the trolleys of gifts I was just absolutely astounded.
“I’m amazed at the generosity of the kids, the staff and their families. This will make a huge difference to disadvantaged kids in the area.
“Last year we really struggled with gifts for teenagers, particularly gifts for boys. What we have in the back of the van is now going to make a lot of kids happy this Christmas.”
The Chaplaincy Team is run by school chaplain, Nicola Roger.
Nicola said: “What is so fantastic is that this idea has been driven by the students. I’m so proud of all the children and this is going to make a massive difference to disadvantaged young people in the area.”
After handing over the gifts and money, Kathleen said: “It feels amazing to do something like this and to help other people in need.”
With 57 different varieties of Ketchup, the students are also in the process of creating 57 reasons why change needs to happen to ensure teenagers in Tyne and Wear don’t face waking up on Christmas morning without a present.