We’ve always had great support, says IOM Foodbank director Neal Mellon as we survey their storage facility with its trestle tables groaning with everything from tins of sweetcorn and tuna to gravy browning and rice pudding.

There are also lots of special items which will help to make someone’s Christmas special: mince pies, Christmas puddings, crackers and selection boxes for the children.

The week before Christmas the core volunteers were working 12-hour days to get the food items donated by members of the public collected, sorted, packed and sent out to families around the island.

In all, around 200 parcels will have been delivered in time for Christmas.

As we are chatting, Graham Corran, who is Douglas Community Sergeant, comes in to collect what the Foodbank call an ’emergency box’.

This contains items such as tea and coffee, longlife milk, cereal, pasta and rice, tins of meat and fish and some toilet rolls.

It’s a new initiative designed to get someone in need through a weekend until agencies such as social services or charities like the Foodbank and Housing Matters can get them more long-term aid.

Sergeant Corran explained: ’We’ve got a box in every police station in case any officers on patrol come across someone who is destitute and needs help. A lot of people are too proud to ask for help but in that situation we have an ’in’ and can give them a pathway to Housing Matters and the Foodbank.

’It clearly works as we have already given out the first one after only a week.’

This is just one of a number of ways in which the Foodbank is evolving and targeting its services in order to make the best use of everything which is donated to them.

These include giving slow cookers to families who have few cooking facilities and producing simple recipe sheets to help them make the most of basic ingredients.

Another initiative has seen the charity purchasing a fridge and four freezers which now allow them to freeze and store meat and other chilled goods from Marks & Spencer.

The store donates these items, which would otherwise go to waste, when they reach their ’chill date’ which means that the food can’t be sold in store but is still suitable for home freezing within 48 hours.

I have been given the honour of delivering the first food parcel containing frozen food and it’s very impressive, with a free range chicken, some beef and some blue cheese.

And butter.

’We’ve never had butter before so this is really exciting,’ says Neal.

I am taking it to a family with two children who live in Willaston and the mum, who asked to remain anonymous, is thrilled with it:

’Oh wow - that’s stuff that we just don’t buy and it’s not because we don’t like it. It’s a treat,’ she says.

She went on to tell me that her family all love fruit and veg and adds: ’I’ve always said it would be great and it would be enticing if the government gave out in benefits even a £5 fruit and veg voucher so it’s encouraging people to get veg and fruit.’

When her family go shopping they have to have a strict quota on the amount they can buy.

She says: ’That’s the way we have to shop. It’s like having a calculator going in your head as you’re walking round the shop and we have to do that.’

She adds that sometimes she has got her sums wrong and had to put items back at the checkout: ’It’s embarassing and pride is a fantastic thing but pride doesn’t feed my kids.’

The mum of two also distributes food for the Foodbank to local neighbours: ’people who I knew could do with help but wouldn’t ask’.

She explains: ’I started by taking over a few essentials like sugar and teabags and it was so well received that I said "OK let’s do it".

’Now I have a list and I have the same people.’

One of her recipients couldn’t believe that the food was being given out free:

’When do I get the bill?’ he asked her.

She also gets food like bread and eggs which need to be used quickly and she is able to give them to people to whom they will make a real difference: ’I can get food like that out within half an hour so that it doesn’t go to waste.’

The family has some serious health issues: her husband suffered an injury at work and has been attending a pain management clinic and she has suffered from depression for many years.

However she says that being able to do her bit to help the Foodbank ’has really perked me up’ and she continues: ’It feels so good when you’re giving something back.’

She gets quite tearful when I ask her how she feels about people who don’t even know her caring enough to donate items: ’It’s so nice knowing that people are so kind.’