A two-day outpouring of financial support saw Dumfries dad Lee Vann-Wakelin’s Easter Gesture reach its £2,000 goal on Saturday night.
A mystery benefactor has tripled it to £6,000 – which is enough for 300 of the most vulnerable families in the town to get the ingredients for a memorable free meal to enjoy over the holiday weekend.
The Standard featured his last ditch attempts to raise the remaining £820 in Friday’s edition and Lee says it made all the difference, as his plans to have a collection on Saturday at a Dumfries supermarket fell through due to a family illness.
Grateful Lee told the Standard this week: “Thank you so much, I do believe it was your article that helped.”
He is also delighted that Miss Swan of Dumfries High has now started a campaign within the school to raise a target of 200 Easter eggs to share among the families nominated for the food parcels by various agencies.
A flurry of donations were made on Friday and Saturday and it was a generous £170 from DC Fresh Produce Dumfries which helped his appeal cross the line.
He said: “I am grateful to everyone who has made a donation – thank you so much. It will make a difference.”
However, the 47-year-old learning assistant at Dumfries High isn’t going to rest of his laurels and plans to keep on fundraising until April 5.
He said: “I am getting more and more responses from agencies, and the numbers are going up, 300 looks like it will not be enough.
“We are also going to help 50 Ukrainian families now living here in five hotel hubs because they don’t yet have a place of their own. This is via the Dumfries and Galloway Multicultural Society and we will adapt the food to meet their needs.
“So, in total, we are at 356 and it could rise, so we are asking for people to donate cash if they can, or a chocolate egg. We need £10 to feed a family of four to six.”
Online donations can be made using paypal at: Leevann_wakelin@hotmail.com, or bank transfer to: Louisa Vann-Wakelin 58254572 09-01-29.
