Hamper
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A hamper refers to one of several related basket-like items. In primarily British usage, it refers to a
wicker Wicker is a method of weaving used to make products such as furniture and baskets, as well as a descriptor to classify such products. It is the oldest furniture making method known to history, dating as far back as . Wicker was first documented ...
basket A basket is a container that is traditionally constructed from stiff Fiber, fibers, and can be made from a range of materials, including wood splints, Stolon, runners, and cane. While most baskets are made from plant materials, other materials ...
, usually large, that is used for the transport of items, often food. In North America, the term generally refers to a
household A household consists of one or more persons who live in the same dwelling. It may be of a single family or another type of person group. The household is the basic unit of analysis in many social, microeconomic and government models, and is im ...
receptacle, often a basket, for clean (out of the dryer or off the line) or dirty
clothing Clothing (also known as clothes, garments, dress, apparel, or attire) is any item worn on a human human body, body. Typically, clothing is made of fabrics or textiles, but over time it has included garments made from animal skin and other thin s ...
, regardless of its composition, i.e. "a
laundry Laundry is the washing of clothing and other textiles, and, more broadly, their drying and ironing as well. Laundry has been part of history since humans began to wear clothes, so the methods by which different cultures have dealt with this u ...
hamper". Typically a laundry hamper is used for storage and will be sturdier, taller and have a
lid A lid or cover is part of a container, and serves as the closure (container), closure or Seal (mechanical), seal, usually one that completely closes the object. Lids can be placed on small containers such as Tub (container), tubs as well as large ...
while a laundry basket is open and used mainly for transport. In agricultural use, a hamper is a wide-mouthed container of basketwork that may often be carried on the back during the
harvest Harvesting is the process of collecting plants, animals, or fish (as well as fungi) as food, especially the process of gathering mature crops, and "the harvest" also refers to the collected crops. Reaping is the cutting of grain or pulses fo ...
ing of fruit or vegetables by hand by workers in the field. The contents of the hamper may be decanted regularly into larger containers or a cart, wagon, or truck. The open ventilation and the sturdiness offered by a hamper has made it suitable for the transport of food, hence the use of the
picnic A picnic is a meal taken outdoors (Al fresco dining, ''al fresco'') as part of an excursion, especially in scenic surroundings, such as a park, lakeside, or other place affording an interesting view, or else in conjunction with a public event su ...
hamper. A picnic hamper often has straps or storage compartments for cutlery and crockery. At one time it was common for laundry services to leave a large basketwork container with a lid which is now commonly referred to as a clothes hamper. The same type of container would be used to return clean clothing, which would be put away by the laundry service and the empty container left in place of the full container for later pickup. This type of daily or bi-daily hamper service was most common with Chinese laundry services in 19th-century England and America. The words 'hamper' and 'hampyre' evolved as contractions of the Anglo-French hanaper, from the Medieval Latin ''hanaperium'', which was a secure case for holding a large goblet or cup, and derived from ''hanapus'', the Latin word for a bowl or cup. The first known usage of the word 'hamper' was in the 14th century.


Charitable hamper

There is a long tradition of community and social
philanthropy Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...
and
charity Charity may refer to: Common meanings * Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of persons * Charity (practice), the practice of being benevolent, giving and sha ...
related to hampers, in which persons or community groups donate to needy people a hamper of
food Food is any substance consumed by an organism for Nutrient, nutritional support. Food is usually of plant, animal, or Fungus, fungal origin and contains essential nutrients such as carbohydrates, fats, protein (nutrient), proteins, vitamins, ...
,
clothing Clothing (also known as clothes, garments, dress, apparel, or attire) is any item worn on a human human body, body. Typically, clothing is made of fabrics or textiles, but over time it has included garments made from animal skin and other thin s ...
,
toiletries Personal care products are consumer products which are applied on various external parts of the body such as skin, hair, nails, lips, external genital and anal areas, as well as teeth and mucous membrane of the oral cavity, in order to make th ...
,
cleaning product Cleaning agents or hard-surface cleaners are substances (usually liquids, powders, sprays, or granules) used to remove dirt, including dust, stains, foul odors, and clutter on surfaces. Purposes of cleaning agents include health, beauty, removing ...
s, or other household necessities, to assist with their family economy. Up until the mid 20th century, in the Western tradition, the hamper was a basket that could be carried by the
donor A donor in general is a person, organization or government which donates something voluntarily. The term is usually used to represent a form of pure altruism, but is sometimes used when the payment for a service is recognized by all parties as re ...
and physically handed to the recipient. This limited the size of the gift to food ingredients for at most several days, or other necessities for one to two weeks. The basket itself was a useful item around the house or farm, and any cloth wrapping for the food or lining of the basket would also be usable by the recipient family. In more recent times, the hamper would likely be a plastic bag or
acrylic fibre Acrylic fibers are synthetic fibers made from a polymer (polyacrylonitrile) with an average molecular weight of ~100,000, about 1900 monomer units. For a fiber to be called "acrylic" in the US, the polymer must contain at least 85% acrylonitr ...
bag of a size that can be carried, with tinned or packaged goods. A
Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...
hamper is likely to be bigger and have some party or celebratory foods, or toys. Hampers can also contain related festive foods. Charity organisations (both secular and religious organisations) such as the Smith Family, Salvation Army, and Foodbank collect donations of food, toys, and gifts to distribute to people in need at Christmas. The popular Australian tradition of meat raffles swaps to charitable Christmas food and toy hamper raffles at most local clubs and pubs from late November.


Christmas hamper

A Christmas hamper is a traditional gift containing small nonperishable food items, particularly seasonal favorites such as
fruitcake Fruitcake or fruit cake is a cake made with Candied fruit, candied or dried fruit, Nut (fruit), nuts, and spices, and optionally soaked in liquor, spirits. In the United Kingdom, certain rich versions may be iced and Cake decorating, decorated. ...
or plum pudding, chocolate, nuts, jams,
biscuits A biscuit is a Flour, flour-based baked food item. Biscuits are typically hard, flat, and Unleavened bread, unleavened. They are usually sweet and may be made with sugar, chocolate, icing (food), icing, jam, ginger, or cinnamon. They can also ...
, honey, smoked or dried meats, and cheese. Some hampers containing tea, coffee, or cocoa might also include a cup and saucer, often seasonally themed or personalized. Luxury hampers may also contain high-end items such as tins of
caviar Caviar or caviare is a food consisting of salt-cured roe of the family Acipenseridae. Caviar is considered a delicacy and is eaten as a garnish or spread. Traditionally, the term caviar refers only to roe from wild sturgeon in the Caspi ...
or small bottles of wine. A "fresh hamper" contains perishable items such as fruits, baked goods, or flowers. The tradition of the Christmas hamper may be intended as a special holiday meal for people who might otherwise have no memorable meal to mark the occasion, or for people such as students or isolated people who are unable to join their families for Christmas. In the US, the Christmas hamper is more usually called a gift basket and does not necessarily contain food items. Non-food gift baskets are frequently themed, such as baskets containing luxury bath items including scented soaps and towels, or beauty baskets with skincare products, perfumes, or lotions. These gift baskets are also popular for occasions other than Christmas. Christmas hamper contents tend to reflect contemporary notions of luxury, and include a combination of popular food items as well as high-status products considered at the time to be decadent or celebratory. In Australia in 1970, a giant Christmas hamper was offered as a promotion when buying a new car. A photograph taken by Bob Beel shows the hamper contained a collection of canned food, tinned ham, a canned plum pudding, non-perishable everyday pantry items such as custard powder and teabags, as well as longneck bottles of VB beer. A Christmas hamper from Australia in 1992 was packed in a wicker basket for hand delivery and contained a Lion's Christmas cake, Rotary plum pudding, tea, jelly crystals, fruit chutney, and a selection of tinned goods. Modern Christmas hampers contain the same mix of popular food items and seasonal luxury treats such as plum pudding, Christmas cake, fruit mince pies, and wine. Modern Christmas hampers from commercial companies are packaged for postal delivery instead of being packed in wicker baskets.


Christmas hampers for serving troops

Christmas hampers packed with treats from home have traditionally been sent to serving troops overseas. In 1915, over 20,000 Christmas hampers were sent to Australian troops as they retreated from
Gallipoli The Gallipoli Peninsula (; ; ) is located in the southern part of East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles strait to the east. Gallipoli is the Italian form of the Greek name (), meaning ' ...
. The Christmas goodies were packed in billies printed with patriotic cartoons. The little gifts from home included practical items that would have been luxuries to serving troops such as tobacco or cigarettes, matches, razor blades, knitted socks, pencil & writing paper, as well as foodstuffs like cake, sauces, pickles, tinned fruit, cocoa, coffee and
Anzac biscuit The Anzac biscuit is a sweet biscuit, popular in Australia and New Zealand, made using rolled oats, flour, sugar, butter (or margarine), golden syrup, baking soda, boiling water and optionally desiccated coconut. Anzac biscuits have long bee ...
s. In 2010, Christmas hampers packed with treats including
Vegemite Vegemite ( ) is a thick, dark brown Australian food spread made from leftover brewers' yeast extract with various vegetable and spice Food additive, additives. It was developed by Cyril Callister in Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victoria, for ...
and Cadbury chocolate, were flown in to Afghanistan, Iraq, East Timor and the Solomon Islands for
Australian Defence Force The Australian Defence Force (ADF) is the Armed forces, military organisation responsible for the defence of Australia and its national interests. It consists of three branches: the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), Australian Army and the Royal Aus ...
troops deployed overseas.


Commercial hampers

A number of companies sell ready-made food hampers or provide customised hampers, which may involve sourcing specific items. Such hampers are popular
gift A gift or present is an item given to someone (who is not already the owner) without the expectation of payment or anything in return. Although gift-giving might involve an expectation of reciprocity, a gift is intended to be free. In many cou ...
items in the UK and Ireland. Hamper companies usually link their services to certain occasions, most particularly Christmas. Grocers, delis and supermarkets may also stock ready-made hampers, though mostly just on a seasonal basis, and with a selection generally limited to items stocked by the store or sourced from their own suppliers. Recently some dietary hamper companies have started catering specifically to customers with dietary requirements.


See also

* W Gadsby & Son Ltd *
Wardrobe A wardrobe, also called armoire or almirah, is a standing closet used for storing clothes. The earliest wardrobe was a chest, and it was not until some degree of luxury was attained in regal palaces and the castles of powerful nobles that sep ...


References


External links

* {{Laundry navbox Baskets Laundry equipment Home Clothing containers Domestic implements Food storage containers