MORE than 200 West Somerset families were helped with emergency food bags over the Christmas period.

West Somerset Food Cupboard team leader Sara Trigg said the charity should give itself ‘a good pat on the back for the work we achieved during December’.

Ms Trigg said: “The donations flooded in and despite being a small charity we were able to step up when it was needed most.

“Distributing over 200 bags to families in the Minehead area before Christmas was a huge achievement.

“We were able to provide bags that not only included basic food options, but a very generous selection of Christmas treats and goodies.

“This is down to all the wonderful donations we receive from all our friends and supporters of the Food Cupboard.

“Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

“I was lucky enough to see the faces of the people that we support when they received their Christmas bag and share the tears and hugs from our recipients.

“I have had lovely feedback from the agencies, schools, and organisations about how we made a difference to families at what can be a very difficult time of year.

“We even managed to find a home for a rogue turkey at the 12th hour on Christmas Eve, such a wonderful feeling to know how that can make such a difference to somebody.”

Ms Trigg said the food cupboard would now take time to rejuvenate itself, look back on things that were done well, and reflect on how to improve for the coming year.