Charity officials reveal how donations from Diocese of Truro’s annual charity catalogue have been helping them throughout the year.

The most recent Cornish Christmas Giving Catalogue raised more than £11,000 for good causes including Penzance Breakfast Project, Cornwall Refuge Trust and more.

St Ives Foodbank, which helps between 30 – 40 households a week and nearly doubling to 60 at Christmas, received £790 from the catalogue.Image shows the front cover of the Christmas cover

Rev Chris Wallis, St Ives Foodbank’s founder and project coordinator, said those referred to the foodbank face food and/ or energy poverty.

He said: “Thank you for the donations you made through the Cornish Christmas Giving Catalogue, we are truly grateful. These are incredibly helpful in enabling us to purchase stocks of perishable foods so we can supply our clients with a varied diet.

“Demand is ever increasing with the Cost of Living Crisis affecting more people, and consequently food and financial donations are going down.”

Hidden Help, near Truro, received £470. It gives furniture and household items to those in need. In 2024 it helped 571 house holds.

Wendy Whittaker, Hidden Help’s communications manager, said: “We would like to thank all the generous people who bought gifts through the Christmas Catalogue.

“Your donations really do change people’s lives.” – Wendy Whittaker, Hidden Help’s Communications Manager

Each year the catalogue showcases a selection of local charities, highlighting their work and explaining how donations help. Staff at Diocese of Truro took over production of the catalogue in 2023 when The Cornwall Poverty Forum no longer had capacity to do it.

Rosey Sanders, operations and project assistant at Diocese of Truro, said: “We are thrilled this is our third year of production.

“We know from previous experience the people of Cornwall’s wonderful generosity will continue as they think of others less fortunate at Christmas time.”

Diocese of Truro officials are now preparing the 2025 catalogue.

Paul Phillips, social responsibility officer at Diocese of Truro, said: “The catalogue has some amazing Cornish charities whose members work tirelessly every day.

“We hope you find a connection to one or more of the featured charities in the catalogue to support this Christmas and, perhaps, beyond.”

If you are a small, local charity and would like to be included in the catalogue – please email info@truro.anglican.org to find out more.