Whilst not officially part of the Christian calendar, the harvest celebration, which is orchestrated by rural churches, represents the beliefs of many Christians in the Western world by thanking God for the plentiful crop yield that allows us to put food on our tables every year. Like many other celebrations of its kind, the harvest festival is adapting to reflect contemporary society but the central principal of giving back to both God and the countless workers who ensure that we have the food that we need to be happy and healthy remains. I spoke to Reverend Wilson, Chigwell School’s Chaplain, to find out more about the school’s collection for harvest this year.

 

He told me that the collection of tinned food and basic necessities had been sent to two charities – Epping Forest Food Bank and 3FOOD4U, an organisation run by a Chigwell parent. Reverend Wilson was quick to stress the goodwill of the Chigwell community – “it seems to me that the parents of Chigwell are very generous” as he witnessed many “small children bringing very large bags into the chapel.” When asked if we could be offering more frequent donations to small-scale charities, the reverend suggested that donations were not limited to harvest but that this was a “time of the year where you can focus and highlight the need to support the local community.” According to Reverend Wilson, roughly 2000 families could utilise one of these food banks on a given week, highlighting the need for generosity by those among us who are more fortunate. 
 

On the whole, Chigwell School’s collection for the harvest festival has been a great success and I look forward to potentially raising greater awareness about the need to support food banks in a meeting with the organiser of 3FOOD4U next month.