When Emily* opens her door, a blast of cold air creeps out with her. She is wrapped up in her dressing gown, desperate to keep warm. For her this year, Christmas means bitter cold and worrying about how she will feed her family.
"I'm not really in the Christmas spirit," she says. "I don't think many people are. So many people I know haven't even put up a Christmas tree, because they can't afford one."
I'm at Emily's door as part of food bank Humans MCR's Christmas drive to deliver over 300 hampers to struggling families in Greater Manchester. Today, myself and around 50 others will drive miles around the region, giving around 1,200 individuals everything they need for a Christmas meal they might not have otherwise had. Emily and her family are just one of hundreds of stops.
READ MORE: Help the hungry in Greater Manchester as we launch Christmas campaign to tackle food poverty
Humans MCR have spent the last three days prepping for today's mission. Around 600 gifts have been wrapped, and tonnes of veg and meat packed. Now, the parcels are arriving on the doorsteps of those in need this Christmas.
I started my route in Harpurhey, just a short drive from Humans MCR's base in Blackley. Opening the front door on a small estate are two children, whose faces light up at the sight of festive food and wrapped gifts poking out of the bags. They don't say much, but they don't need to.
Every single household I deliver to has children. At my second stop, just minutes away from my first, a mother opens the door, again clad in her dressing gown, desperate to keep warm. I don't see her children, but I can hear them playing behind her. As I explain to her that there are blank gift tags and a pen in the bag, so she can label the presents herself, I see a sense of relief cross her face. For some of these families, the gifts donated by Humans MCR might be the only ones they give.
Just weeks ago, I joined Humans MCR delivery driver Steve on one of his daily routes. Today, what struck me was how often I drove past houses we visited on that day, while on my way to other families in need. I didn't stop at any of the same houses as last time on this route, but made deliveries to different families living just streets away. It's a chilling reality - and one that I have only seen play out in one pocket of Greater Manchester. It's not hard to imagine that across each borough, the need is staggering.
Just a few minutes away, in Moston, is Emily's house. Humans MCR do more than just deliver food parcels - their drivers are a point of contact for those who might not have anyone else, and checking in on the person is just as important to them as dropping off the food. So when she comes to the door, I ask Emily how she is.
"It's hard to be honest. I'm struggling to pay my bills," she tells me, pulling her dressing gown in tighter. "Thank you so much for doing what you do. It is really appreciated."
My final stop is again just minutes from Emily, where Alima* and her son answer the door. She breaks into a smile and kindly invites me inside for a cup of tea, while he runs about excitedly in his spiderman pyjamas. "He's excited because there are presents in there!" Alima tells me. As I leave, she wishes me a merry Christmas and happy new year. It feels good to know that theirs will be easier because of the work Humans MCR do.
What I saw today was a tiny portion of the colossal effort put in by Humans MCR to help tackle food poverty across Greater Manchester. Around 50 other drivers will have done exactly what I have over the course of the day, and between us, we will have spoken to and helped 304 families. It feels like we have been a part of something special.
Sadly, it's only a fraction of the number of people who are struggling this year. Speaking to the M.E.N, Humans MCR co-founder Lewey Hellewell said the charity could have tripled their numbers - if they only had the resource. But the food bank do fantastic work, and it's why we're raising money for them for our Christmas appeal. You can read more about the amazing work they do here , and donate to our appeal here .
READ NEXT:
