For over a decade, Pamela Lawson Boyce has been putting up Christmas inflatables and a bin for people at their south London home to collect food donations for the London Food Bank.

Every year, Pamela Lawson Boyce’s Christmas display at her south London home attracts hundreds of families who come to see the lights and inflatables. She started decorating her front lawn at 532 Chiddington Avenue 13 years ago. In 2015, she added a food donation box and has since collected hundreds of pounds of non-perishable food for the London Food Bank.

Boyce shares that donations have slowed down since COVID-19, as the food collection has gone down from about 850 pounds in 2018 to a little over 100 pounds this year, blaming the rising prices that make it harder for people to donate. Boyce has loved the holiday season since she was a child. Recently retired, Lawson Boyce now volunteers at the London food bank every week, helping sort, pack, and hand out food hampers.

Lawson Boyce’s Christmas display shows how individual efforts can make a big difference and how people don’t just give but find creative ways to involve their neighbours and communities in the process. Boyce’s decorations were one of the estimated 500 fun events where Londoners were seen collecting donations, from marshmallow roasting parties to ski events and pancake stands.

Source: Jack Sutton, CBC