JESUS Cares volunteers gave out more than 3,500 food hampers to people this Christmas.

The King’s Church organisation, funded by the Big Lottery Fund, started in 2009 as a result of community organisations contacting the Kings Church to ask for food for families they were working with, who had no money to feed their children.

The Argus has got on board with the project again this year to try and raise the profile of the work already carried out by the church, based at Lower Dock Street, Newport, and encourage as many readers and local businesses as possible to pitch in.

Now Jesus Cares has announced that it has managed to give out 3,750 hampers by December 22, meaning that the organisation has increased its usual monthly handout of 1,500 hampers by 2,250 hampers.

Jesus Cares co-ordinator Faye Edwards is delighted with this year’s success.

“We have delivered 3,750 food hampers, which is an extra 2,250 on top of our monthly total, and we have also given out 1,100 presents this Christmas,” she said.

“We originally aimed to donate 500 present so the fact that we have given out 1,100 is fantastic and we still have a few left to give out.

“We have been able to do as well as last year with the amount of Christmas food hampers that we have given out.

“We are really pleased because 3,750 hampers is more than double the amount that we do in the average month.

“We are really delighted.

“We have no target for next year yet but we will continue to give out a minimum of 1,500 hampers throughout the year and from May we want to give out 2,000 hampers a month-so we are still on target for an increase by the middle for next year."

The charity set a target of giving out 500 presents but managed to more than double that figure thanks to what Mrs Edwards called "fantastic donations, in particular the donations from volunteers that we have had come in as part of the campaign by the Argus - which have been fantastic.

“A number of people have volunteered their time to help us this year and they have been incredible.

"We have have done really well in what we were able to give-we haven't beat last years total, but this year we have seen far more support in terms of volunteers who have come from members of the community who have got involved."