A campaign to provide an Easter Sunday meal for Dumfries families struggling with the cost-of-living crisis needs to raise £800 by April 7.
The aim of community champion Lee Vann-Wakelin’s Easter Gesture challenge is to raise £2,000 – and if he can hit that target a mystery benefactor has offered to treble the amount to £6,000.
That would be enough for 300 of the most needy families in the town to get the ingredients for a free meal to enjoy on April 9.
However, although £1,200 has been raised so far, Lee, 47, a learning assistant at Dumfries High School, is appealing for help with the final push.
Helped by his wife, Louisa, and children, he’ll be at the Tesco Peel Centre supermarket in the town tomorrow shaking buckets and plans to do the same next Saturday – which is his birthday – and on April 1.
Lee needs to raise £10 for each family to receive ingredients for a sausage and onion roast meal with dessert and two Easter eggs.
Appealing for donations and helpers to take part in the Tesco collections, or spread the word via social media, Lee said: “We are having a bit of a problem in raising the money.
“I completely understand why because you go into a shop now and everything that was £1 is now £1.25 and stuff that used to be £2 is now £2.60.
“I do understand that people are struggling but I just wanted to remind everyone that we are doing this for families who couldn’t afford the food when it was at £1.
“So they definitely cannot afford it at £1.25.”
He added “We could really help a family for £10. Then they would have a really good Easter Sunday with a nice meal and a family thing to do in making the cakes, and enjoying the Easter eggs.
“We can’t help everyone but for just one special day 300 families would just be able to relax and enjoy themselves instead of worrying.
“We don’t pick the families we help. We are working with agencies in the town who deal with the families that are struggling all the time.”
To donate, payments can be made by using paypal at Leevann_wakelin@hotmail.com or bank transfer to: Louisa Vann-Wakelin 58254572 09-01-29, or hand over a donation to Lee tomorrow at the supermarket collection.
