THOUSANDS of families feeling the pinch due to the cost-of-living crisis will get a helping hand with food this Christmas thanks to a dedicated team of volunteers.

Volunteers crews at the Cheshire Food Hub in Northwich will be manning production lines in shifts to fill 2,500 recipe boxes with 35 tonnes of food.

These boxes will then be distrubited to families in need across Cheshire, who usually get help through free schools meals.

Run by Changing Lives Together, the project bought the food from Sainsbury's as a bulk order and took it to its temporary Barons Quay distribution centre, where volunteers are working.  

The boxes will be delivered to families in the week beginning Monday, December 12. 

Rachel Waterman, head of business development for the charity, said: “We have delivered this project for a number of years, and we know the difference it makes to families across Cheshire.

“This year, as well as a number of basic grocery items including fruit, vegetables, eggs and cereal we are including nutritious recipe sheets plus the ingredients needed so families can learn to cook together.

“We know the cost-of-living crisis means that people are having to find inventive ways to make their budgets and their food stretch further.

Northwich town mayor, Cllr Graham Emmett, visited the project on its first day.

Cllr Emmett said: “As always, the community of Northwich has stepped up to help others.

“I am grateful we have some very determined people who overcome all sorts of obstacles to get this annual project underway and to all the volunteers who put in hours of hard work in difficult conditions to get it done.

“I’d encourage anybody to sign up as a volunteer at Changing Lives Together as what they do makes an enormous difference to many people.”

For those who would like to show support this Christmas, Changing Lives Together are providing food donation tubs inside the unit in Barons Quay, next to River Island and opposite H&M.

All food collected will be donated to Mid Cheshire Food Bank for their work in supporting people in Northwich and Winsford who are in food crisis.