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Secret Santa

Christmas is a time for kindness, connection and community, but unfortunately many people and their families struggle over the winter months. This year, our Secret Santa campaign is all about helping those who need it most across Lincolnshire and surrounding areas.

You can make a difference by donating through your local Lincolnshire Co-op branch. Each of our food stores, pharmacies and travel branches will host dedicated Secret Santa collection points over the Christmas period. Here, you can help make a difference by dropping off items to support local people in need.

Whether it’s a family facing food insecurity, a child who might otherwise go without a present, or someone struggling to access essential toiletries, your donation can bring warmth and joy this festive season.

Find out more about how your donation will support people in your area below, and how you can make a difference.

Gifts and toys donations

From 1st to 30th November, our travel branches will act as toy donation points for those wishing to spread some Christmas joy, ensuring that every child gets a present this Christmas.

Within our 13 travel branches , Christmas trees will be decorated with gift tags that included details such as age and gender, which customers can take away, choose a suitable present, and return to the branch, so that it could be sent to the branch’s local toy appeal.

Holidaymakers have also been supporting the toy bank appeal by opting to donate a minimum of £1 towards the cause when booking their trips away and raising an incredible £8,294.57. This money will be used to purchase gifts for the local toy appeal that we are supporting.

Find out more

Toy appeals we're supporting:

Grantham Foodbank

From The Heart - Worksop

Newark Salvation Army

Sleaford New Life

Gainsborough Salvation Army

Market Rasen Salvation Army

Lincolnshire Leaving Care Service

Boston Salvation Army

The Bridge Church - Lincoln

Boxes of Hope - Holbeach

CARE North East Lincolnshire (Christian action resource enterprise)

Foodbank donations

Food banks provide vital support for people and according to Trussell Trust 1 in 14 households used a food provision in 2024, which can easily be someone that you know.

Each of our food stores support a local food provision and they need your help to give a treat to those in need at Christmas and also replenish their stocks for the new year.

You can help by donating non-perishable, in-date food items such as:

Tinned fruit or veg
Tinned meat or fish
UHT milk
Pasta
Cereals

Or treat someone to make their Christmas special and donate items such as:

Stuffing mix
Christmas pudding
Biscuits
Crackers

Find your nearest food store to drop off donations

Food banks we're supporting

Agape Care Food Bank

Alford Storehouse Church Food Bank

Bardney Larder

Barton area Food Bank

Bassetlaw Food Bank

Bilsthorpe Emergency Team

Birchwood Food Bank

Boston Food Bank

Bourne Food Bank

Branston All Saints Food Bank

Brigg Food Bank

Caistor Food Bank

The Clipstone Food Hub

Collingham Food Pantry

Community Action Response Food Bank

Coningsby and Tattershall Food Bank/Destiny Outreach Coningsby

Crowland Community Larder

Epworth Food Bank

Gainsborough Salvation Army

Grantham Food Bank

Holbeach Community Larder

Horncastle Community Larder

Ingoldmells Food Bank

Isle of Axholme Food Share Project

Kirton-In-Lindsey Food Aid

Lincoln Community Larder

Lincoln Food Bank

Long Sutton Food Bank

Louth Community Larder

Market Rasen Salvation Army

Newark Food Bank

Rock Foundation

Scunthorpe Food Bank

Selby & District Food Bank

Sleaford New Life Community Larder

Spilsby & District Community Larder

Stanford Community Pantry

Sutton Bridge Community Larder

Skegness Food Bank

We Are One - Grimsby

Whittlesey Emergency Food Aid

Woodhall Spa Food Bank

Wragby Food Bank

Sanitary and toiletry donations

Across our local area, there are people struggling to pay for sanitary and toiletry items, which many of us take for granted.

Over the festive season, we're encouraging people to help spread the joy of Christmas to those with a lack of access to basic hygiene products, to help them feel clean and comfortable during the winter months.

You can donate items directly to the collection points in our pharmacies, which will then go to an assigned local charity or community group and distributed to those in need.

Most needed items include:

Toothbrushes and toothpaste
Shampoo and shower gel
Sanitary items
Deodorant

Find your local pharmacy

Sanitary and toiletry banks we're supporting:

Lincoln County Hospital

Holbeach Community Larder

Lincoln Foodbank

Lincoln Hygiene Bank

Lincoln Community Larder

East Lincolnshire Food Collective

Grantham Passage

Connexions Community Hub - Gainsborough

Blue Door - Scunthorpe

Centrepoint Outreach - Boston

Haven

Sleaford New Life Community Larder

NEL Women's Aid - Grimsby

Doorstep - Grimsby

Branston Foodbank

Spread warmth and cheer this festive season by becoming a Secret Santa for someone in need.

You can get involved by:

Donating essential food items in your local food store.
Dropping sanitary and toiletry products into collection points within our pharmacies.
Donating a present to someone who may otherwise go without at one of our travel branches.

We also have over 50 local businesses and organisations hosting collection points for colleagues, customers and service users. Donations can be made directly to our branches, or our team can arrange collections.

Email community@lincolnshire.coop and help spread some festive magic!

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