As part of the BPCA's ongoing commitment to community projects, the staff team has decided they're going to run a reverse advent calendar "pass it on" charity event.

Instead of having a morsel of chocolate with our breakfast every day in the run-up to Christmas, the office team is going to be donating food and supplies to a local food bank. Food bank usage in the UK has been steadily rising year-on-year, with a large proportion of food packages going to those with high levels of disability and long-term illnesses.

Start your own reverse advent calendar

Once we had the idea, getting the scheme set up was simple.

We simply rang around a few of our local food banks and asked what sort of food items they usually run short of around the holiday period. Our list includes everyday food times such as cereal, soup, pasta, rice, jars of sauce, beans, tinned meat, tinned vegetables, tea, coffee, sugar, and a couple of Christmas-y treats, but if you want to do a similar thing in your workplace, we suggest you check with your local food bank to see which items they're currently in need of.

Next, we assigned everyone in the office a couple of days each, between 1st and 24th December, and put our names against certain things on the list. We'll be updating our Facebook page and sending out a few Twitter updates in the lead up to Christmas, so make sure you check out our social channels for ongoing updates!

Why choose food banks?

1,109,309 emergency food packages were distributed by the Trussell Trust in 2015-16. Supposedly, the average food bank user will use the service only twice a year, suggesting at least 554,000 people are relying on donated food a year. Training Officer, Danni first pushed for the project back in October. She said:

"I had seen this "reverse advent calendar" idea on social media, although that post was intended for a family home. The family would put little gifts in a box for their loved ones. I thought we could adapt this to help others.

There are people all around us who will not have a Christmas in the same way we do. They will not have the luxuries which many of our families enjoy. I think December is a big time for food and feasts, however, many families struggle to put food on the table all year round - wouldn't it be nice if those who really need a mid-winter feast, got one?"

Let us know what you and your company are doing to keep the festive season about giving. We want to hear about your charity fundraisers or community projects. Whether you're making your own food bank donations or dressing up for a good cause we want to hear about it.

Send your charitable deeds to scott@bpca.org.uk or Tweet us @britpestcontrol