A supermarket chain and the Lions Clubs of Bermuda today kicked off their annual Share the Christmas Spirit food drive to help families in need.

Seth Stutzman, the president of the MarketPlace Group, said: “People need a helping hand more so this year.

“MarketPlace is already committed to doing the three-day-a-week five per cent discount days and we also provide five per cent discounts to those on Financial Assistance every single day of the week.

“We have done tons of donations – we really need to pull together.

“The Share the Christmas Spirit event is something we have done for the past 32 years and started under the first president of the company John Carr.”

Mr Stutzman added: “I just think a lot of people need help this year – we are giving people a hand up instead of a hand out.”

Dessaline Waldron, the chairwoman of the Lions Clubs of Bermuda, said: “Over the past 32 years with the help of the Bermuda community and donations received, thousands of families and seniors have benefited from receiving our Christmas hampers.

“As Bermuda families continue to face hardship, we ask the Bermuda community to continue to help us. When we share what we have, remember, we are helping someone in need.

“Let us continue to take care of each other.”

The campaign was launched at the MarketPlace store on Church Street, Hamilton with a saxophone performance by Kannen Dickinson, a pupil at the Bermuda Institute, and words by Pastor Jahkimmo Smith, pastor of the Mount Sion AME Church in Southampton.

People were asked to buy or bring a tin or box of non-perishable food to add to decorated Christmas boxes set up at all MarketPlace stores, as well as the Modern Mart, A-1 and the Shopping Centre in Hamilton, before December 14.

The donations will be used by the Lions Clubs to create food hampers which will be distributed to families in need.