Cigarettes out, fresh fruit in: the changing face of the Red Cross parcel The British Red Cross was founded in 1863, seven years after the international movement. Since the First World War, when the first parcels were sent out, the British organisation has distributed 25 million food parcels around the world. Earlier this month, it announced it was to start distributing food to families in the UK. Among its wartime recipients was David Isherwood, 80, from St Helier, on Jersey, who was eight years old when the Germans occupied the Channel Islands in the Second World War. Food supplies on the islands dwindled as the conflict wore on and Mr Isherwood, along with his parents and sister, were among many who received parcels to help sustain them. He said he can still remember the "wonderful" taste of powdered milk they contained. "To us kids, the occupation was a great adventure at first, but then I realised that it was difficult for our parents and as time went on food levels got shorter and shorter and I remember being very hungry," he said. We were living on about 1,100 calories a day. In all seriousness, the British Red Cross parcels saved our lives - we were desperately short of food. I lived in town and it was harder because we couldn't grow anything ourselves. I remember going to school with a slice of raw swede for my lunch. The island hugely appreciated the parcels. He added: "When the parcels arrived it was like Christmas and the treats inside were brilliant. I'd not had tinned salmon to eat for years and I can still remember the taste of the powdered milk - wonderful stuff. There was chocolate as well, and it probably wasn't very good compared to now, but it tasted great then. The packs are still assembled by volunteers. The British Red Cross currently has around 30,000 volunteers working in the UK and the movement has more than 90 million world wide. Currently, there are nearly seven million people still in need of assistance in and around Syria. As well as food, the movements also provide "hygiene parcels" for displaced families, which include washing powder, lavatory rolls, soap, toothpaste and toothbrushes. Red Cross parcels, then and now: How they compare: 1940s parcels - to the value of 10 shillings included: 1/4lb packet of tea tin of cocoa powder bar of milk or plain chocolate tinned pudding tin of meat roll tin of processed cheese tin of condensed milk tin of dried eggs tin of sardines or herrings tin of preserve tin of margarine tin of sugar tin of vegetables tin of biscuits bar of soap tin of 50 cigarettes or tobacco (sent separately) Today's parcels - to the value of approximately £10.80 include: 1 orange/apple 1 banana 2 onions 2 potatoes 1 tin of baked beans 1 tin of tomatoes 1 tin of garden peas OR kidney beans 1 small tin of tuna OR 1x small tin of sardines 1 loaf of white OR brown bread 250g pasta twists OR spaghetti 250g long grain white rice 200g sugar 250g salt 250ml vegetable oil 20 tea bags 1 carton of apple OR orange juice (1 litre) 1 carton of UHT long-life milk (1 litre)