September Stars!
During this month, as we prepare to launch our winter campaign, we have been introducing you to our SIX partners. They are the ones who will be handing out the Beanies, scarves and duffle bags funded from your purchases on our @beanies_masato Twitter account, to the street homeless in need that they meet on outreach.
To date you have met @YorkRoadProject and @Wolveshomeless, and today we invite Darren from @onebigfamilyHTH to say a few words about what they do…
Founded in 2015, and taking its name
from a song by Embrace, "One Big Family - helping the homeless" was
set up to provide essential items and support to the homeless in Medway (Kent)
and also in London.
We are a small group who regularly do
outreach. We have a "soup run"
in Victoria every Wednesday, a regular drop in Waterloo on a Thursday and get
into other areas of London as often as possible. We are infamous for our LATE NIGHT outreaches,
often not getting home until the very early hours!
Our Medway Soup Kitchen is starting
Autumn 2016, and we regularly get calls to assist those in need in Medway.
The "essentials" we handout
include : new pants and socks, baby wipes, soap, roll-on deodorant, gloves and hats
and food. We also supply our homeless
friends with clean clothing, warm drinks and chat!! We pride ourselves on
creating relationships with the folk we meet.
This then means we can potentially be of most use to them and direct
them to the services they need.
Everything we do is funded by
donations, we don't receive any corporate or agency assistance, so to have the
support from Masato Beanies and their amazing "social media" team is
both humbling and extremely welcome.
One Big Family - Help the Homeless - a perfect example of people who care, out there doing what needs doing. No fuss, just a genuine friendly smile and a helping hand.
We enjoyed their company as our 'Partner of the month' for September. As we gear up for October, you have raised for them £112.00 with one day to go. And, by nominating when you have purchased your Duffle Bags, you have ensured that 20 new bags will be distributed through them to the homeless most in need.
Why the bags? We've said it before, but on the street it is really hard to keep your few personal belongings together and safe. A 5p carrier bag maybe, or a Bag for Life handed on to you… Our friends told us that something that was new and totally theirs, wasn't just a bag or a hat or a scarf - it was a sign that they as a person had value, that they were not invisible… that they were not worthless. So, in some ways this campaign is important in more ways than the obvious.
If YOU would like to buy a duffle bag, with one going to One Big Family, click on the link above and scroll down. If anything else there catches your eye, then please buy! In September £2 from each sale goes to them. From 1-9 Oct. the £2 will wing its way to Wolverhampton to help our friends @Wolveshomeless, who you met here a couple of days ago.
Thank you for supporting us all. You are amazing, and we really do appreciate it. All of us.
As always we are indebted to our wonderful friend @chunkymark
on Twitter
for allowing us to use his art
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