More than 650 food hampers will be given to farming families this Christmas.

The hampers are being given by Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution (RABI) and they contain essential staples plus some festive treats such as mince pies, biscuits, chocolates and a Christmas card written to the family.

The hampers will cost the agricultural charity between £40-50,000 to create.

Trish Pickford, RABI’s head of welfare since 1998, said: “I’ve occasionally been asked why we send out hampers; aren’t they old-fashioned, Dickensian even? The answer is they are perfect way to meet a basic need and at the same time bring joy and happiness to people whose lives are very difficult.”

The charity’s Christmas hamper campaign has been going for 12 years. In Devon and Somerset volunteers deliver them personally to the door.

Paul Burrows, RABI CEO, said: “Christmas can be the loneliest time of the year for many, so the hamper campaign is really about recognising that. The knowledge that someone has thought about them this Christmas, that they are not alone, can lift the spirits – as can the child-like experience of opening up a hamper to see what unexpected treats lie inside.

“The people we send hampers too are often elderly and isolated. Many are widowed or missing loved ones. Some won’t get any other gifts this Christmas. Giving them a hamper shows someone’s thinking of them.”

An individual hamper costs £50 while a double hamper for a couple costs £75. To donate to RABI’s Christmas hamper campaign visit justgiving.com/campaigns/charity/rabi/christmas-hamper-campaign-2017