HUNDREDS of items, including tins and packets of food, cleaning products and toiletries, have been donated by a York school to the city’s foodbanks.

Students, staff and parents at All Saints RC responded generously to an appeal which Elaine Wright, the school’s chaplaincy co-ordinator, organised as she was aware that York’s foodbanks needed donations.

She also wanted to show the students at the school, who regularly raise money for charities, that there are other practical ways of helping.

The students were allowed to wear non-uniform on Friday and in return were asked to bring in an item that could be given to a foodbank.

Each form was given a box to put their donations in, and the boxes ended up overflowing with goods.

In addition, form teachers added several carrier bags worth of goods to each form’s pile of donations.

Nearly 1,000 items were donated altogether.

Elaine is delighted with the response and said: “I had hoped we would receive a decent contribution of items for the foodbank but I was totally overwhelmed with the response, the generosity of our staff and students has been utterly fantastic."

“I know that our students can be relied upon to rally to a challenge but not in my wildest dreams did I think the response would be this great.”