THE King’s Church has sent out the first batch of Christmas deliveries for its Jesus Cares campaign.

The hampers were delivered in Newport yesterday and a further two thousand hampers are set to be delivered to those in need in Newport in the coming weeks.

The Argus has again teamed up with the project to encourage as many readers and local businesses to help out and to raise the profile of the charitable work the church does throughout the year.

The King’s Church hopes to distribute 4,000 food hampers to six geographical areas in South Wales, including Newport, Blaenau Gwent, and Torfaen.

Before being dispersed into the community, the food hampers will be delivered to various agencies across Gwent in the coming weeks, including Gwent Police, Serennu, Solace, Gwent Probation, and the Big Issue.

Last Christmas, the campaign, funded by the Big Lottery Fund, provided 3,300 food hampers to those in need in South Wales.

The hampers are made up of non-perishable foods, such as rice and pasta, but we are looking for Christmas treats that will make each hamper extra special this year.

Marcia Clement, co-ordinator of Jesus Cares, said that there has been a marked difference in the number of hampers distributed and, equally, the number of those in need since 2009.

She said: “It’s worrying in this day and age, when we have so much. But, if you turn away from the main street, you soon find people struggling to put food on the table. We just want to give them hope.

“It’s incredible to see the difference between now and 2009. There has been an increase in hampers year by year but, equally, the need is rising and we need to raise awareness of the problem out there.”

All donations can be left in the King’s Church office on 71 Lower Dock Street, Newport.

If you would like to support our appeal, contact 01633 777087 or email ciaran.kelly@gwent-wales.co.uk