Rye College continued its festive tradition of celebrating Christmas Jumper Day with a purpose – supporting our local community through a foodbank donation drive.
We’re proud to announce that 2025 marked our biggest donation year yet with nearly 300kg collected. With over 3 million people across the UK relying on foodbanks – a number that rises during the Christmas period – our students truly embodied one of our core values: be kind. Their generosity will make a real difference to families in our local community.
A huge thank you to all our students and families for your support, and special recognition goes to our student leaders for coordinating donations and helping to load up the very packed van.
Mr Dom Downes, headteacher at Rye College, said, “I am incredibly proud of our students and families for coming together to support those in need. This initiative reflects the heart of our school community – kindness, compassion and a commitment to making a positive impact. Thank you to everyone who contributed to making this our most successful food bank drive yet.”
Penny Downes of Rye Foodbank thanked all the staff and students involved in this collection. “We are so grateful to the students and staff at Rye College for their incredible generosity this Christmas. It has been a tough autumn for many households, and this donation will help to ensure everyone will be able to enjoy the festive season. Please also thank the students who helped to load the donations into the van – we were so impressed by how friendly and polite they were – a real credit to the school.”
RYE NEWS: In the last foodbank before Christmas on Wednesday 17 December, 249 clients were given food parcels weighing a total of nearly 2000kg (2 tonnes!). With donations and a large Jempson’s delivery adding to approximately 2000kg, all of which needed unpacking and sorting, the volunteers handled nearly 4 tonnes of food in one day.
Image Credits: Amy Biddle .