AN APPEAL has been launched through song to ensure residents across the county can enjoy a Christmas dinner this year.

East Lothian Foodbank is calling on people to support its Jingle Bags campaign, which aims to help people celebrate Christmas.

The scheme was launched last year and includes Christmas staples like packet gravy, Christmas pudding, mince pies and selection packs, as well as Christmas crackers.

And the foodbank is also hoping to spread the word by encouraging people to sing its Jingle Bags song – adapted from the festive classic Jingle Bells.

The song features the words: “Jingle bags, jingle bags, jingle all the way. Oh what joy it is to have a meal on Christmas Day.”

Lucy Daniels, foodbank development manager, said: “At the foodbank, we know that Christmas can be a particularly hard time of year for those who are struggling financially, and struggling to feed themselves and their families.

“Generally, the number of referrals we receive goes up in the winter months, with a significant increase in the two weeks just before Christmas.

“Last year we decided to do more than provide regular essentials like pasta and cereal. We wanted to do something different which would help on Christmas Day, bringing a wee bit of Christmas cheer when people need it most.”

Last December, 272 Jingle Bags weighing more than 2,000 kilogrammes were given to people in need across East Lothian. Everyone who was referred for a food parcel in the run-up to Christmas received a Jingle Bag in addition to their standard three-day emergency food parcel.

The foodbank, based on Tranent’s Civic Square, also worked with referral agencies to identify families requiring additional support over the festive period and they too received a Jingle Bag.

The foodbank’s army of volunteers put in extra hours, making sure the Jingle Bags looked festive and contained plenty of goodies.

Martin Whitfield, the county’s MP, is among those supporting the campaign.

He said: “The Christmas period is one of the busiest times of the year for East Lothian Foodbank but the dedicated staff and volunteers want to help give people the best Christmas possible.

“The Jingle Bags campaign is one way of contributing to that and was a huge success last year.

“I’m pleased to endorse the campaign and look forward to local people showing the same generosity in supporting Jingle Bags and the foodbank again this year.”

Mrs Daniels added: “Last December we were awed and humbled by the generosity of the public, who donated over 19,000kg of food.

“This allowed us to help hundreds of people.

“Everyone rallied to our call for help in filling our Jingle Bags and it really made a difference to those who received one.

“Last year the stories were as inspiring as they were heart-breaking – one mum told us how relieved she was to know that her daughter’s Christmas was taken care of with a Jingle Bag from the foodbank.”

Anyone looking to support the foodbank is encouraged to post a video of themselves singing the Jingle Bags song on Facebook or Twitter with the message: “We’re supporting @EL_foodbank are you? #jinglebagseastlothian”

The original video is at eastlothian.foodbank.org.uk/give-help/jingle-bags