A TEIGNBRIDGE schoolgirl has donated half the proceeds from her sponsored reading challenge to her local foodbank.

Seven-year-old Isla-Mae completed a sponsored reading challenge through the Itsy Bitsy bookshop in partnership with Usborne Books.

Raising a huge £120, she told her Mum, unprompted, that instead of spending the money on more books, that she wanted to donate half to the Homeless in Teignbridge Support (HITS) Foodbank.

HITS have been providing support for people in crisis and those suffering from food poverty for 12 years. They help individuals and families, and anybody else who needs assistance.

Sending out more than 10,000 food parcels in the last 12 months alone, they help individuals trying to solve their need for the use of their services and get themselves back on the right track and out of food poverty.

Isla-Mae said that she wanted “to help make sure other families and their children have full tummies at bedtime.”

Her mum, Kirsty, said: “She has become very aware of the world we live in and that some people are less fortunate. We know we’re very lucky – she chose the charity.

“I emailed and asked what they were short on, and what they came back with was what she bought.

“She wanted to do it herself, but we went to our local Tesco’s, and she did the scan and go. She had her sponsor money in her purse and did it all herself.”

Isla-Mae added that she bought 114 things for the bank. Including ‘lots of tins, fish and tuna, and sauces.’

HITS food parcels offer a balanced diet and include a range of items. The size of each food parcel is made up based on the size of each family and is carefully put together by one of their 50-strong team of volunteers.

A spokesperson for the charity said: “We are a registered charity and are solely dependent on donations from businesses and the public both financially and with produce. We are extremely grateful to these people for their support in helping us support those facing food poverty.

“Isla-Mae carried out an act of pure kindness and generosity,

“She is obviously a very kind and thoughtful person.”

With the rest of her money, Isla is planning on buying more books. She loves Julia Donaldson, Hannah Shaw and ‘the Rainbow Magic books’ by Daisy Meadows.

She has already decided to do the sponsored challenge annually. “I might give it all to the foodbank next year!’ she said.

► More information on how to donate, and the work they do, can be found here.