A MUM who earns £1million a year is only getting her children one small present each this Christmas.
Shirine Khoury-Haq, 51, has explained to her six-year-old twins it's because of the cost-of-living crisis - but not for the reason you'd think.
Shirine is the new Co-op chief executive and her basic salary is £750,000 a year before a bonus - which can push her total pay package to well over £1m.
She's told her young daughters that they will only find a small present each from Santa in their Christmas stockings this year because he has to prioritise the children most in need.
Shirine told her girls they would also get "a small present from Mummy and Daddy".
She continued: "But the rest of our budget will be given to Santa to provide presents for children whose parents can’t contribute to the elves.
"We’re going to go out shopping for those other presents and [we will] send them to Santa.”
Shirine's decision comes as Co-op scrapped its multimillion-pound Christmas advertising campaign, and will instead publicise its partnership with Your Local Pantry.
The charity is made up of a network of small subsidised supermarkets for those in need.
People struggling with food bills can pay just £3.50 to £7 to enter a mini food store based in a church hall, vacant shop or community centre.
They can then help themselves to up to ten items, typically worth £15 to £25.
Shirine told The Sunday Times: “The cost-of-living crisis is undeniable now and people are having to make choices about whether they keep their homes warm or they put food on the table.
"Parents are making choices about whether they eat or their children eat. Many people are experiencing this for the very first time.
"The pantries ... allow people to make choices about the food they bring into their homes.”
Shirine, who is the first-ever woman to lead Co-op, said her girls asked for a tiny gift each - a Barbie and a Paw Patrol toy.
She admitted it wildly differed from previous Christmases when her girls received an "embarrassing" number of presents.
The mum said: “Too many toys that you then just play with one or two times and then give away or break.
“It just feels like excess, given what’s happening in the world. In good conscience, I can’t do that in my own home.”
The rest of our budget will be given to Santa.
Shirine Khoury-HaqCo-op chief executive
She explained that she liked how the charity allowed people to choose their own food, rather than being handed a pre-packed box.
Shirine said that worked well as many people prefer “a hand up, not a handout”.
Customers are asked three questions online about their household spending before a chat with their local pantry to ensure they are used by those most in need.
Much of the food comes from FareShare, a charity that collects surpluses from supermarkets, while the rest comes from allotments, food banks and donations.
There are 87 pantries in the UK, but the Co-op partnership is expected to help the scheme expand to 225 within three years.
Rachel Brown, a development worker for Your Local Pantry, said: “Our values are dignity, choice and hope.
"The pantries are set up to look as much like a corner shop as possible so people know they are valued. Everything is stacked on shelves, everyone’s in uniforms.
"It is horrible that this is needed, but this is a step in the right direction.
“It is part of a solution to make sure that everyone can access good food. The best thing people can do to help is to contact their local pantry. One might need volunteers. Another might need donations.”
