Donations will benefit the vulnerable
Children in need and vulnerable households are looking forward to a brighter Christmas thanks to staff and board members at Grampian Housing Association (GHA).
Cash for presents and food parcels have been donated to the Cash for Kids’ Mission Christmas Appeal and Somebody Cares, which both support disadvantaged people and families in the north-east.
As well as contributing the cash equivalent of buying a gift for a child, staff were inspired to organise a Christmas jumper day and raffle to raise extra money.
GHA agreed to match the £450 raised so £900 will be donated to Cash for Kids’ Mission Christmas Appeal, helping to ensure children can enjoy Christmas this year.
A further donation of £450 worth of food and toiletries was made to Somebody Cares. The charity was delighted to receive 60 bags of groceries, which will provide at least 30 food parcels to people most in need in the city over the festive season.
Tenants who receive gifts are very appreciative of the help provided by the Cash for Kids toy appeal
The association collects Sainsbury’s Nectar points from Dulux when it buys paint packs for tenants and decided to use the points to fund this donation.
Jenny Taylor from Somebody Cares said: “We are overwhelmed by this donation and thank Grampian Housing Association for responding to our increase in demand for food as we set out to provide for everyone who needs help going into Christmas.”
Nicola Cope, charity co-ordinator, said: “This year MFR Cash for Kids Mission Christmas reached new highs for all the wrong reasons. We had more children than ever who were going to wake up with no Christmas presents. Thanks to the generosity of charities like Grampian Housing Association we are delighted to say that we managed to give every one of those children presents to open on Christmas morning. We are overwhelmed by the support from Grampian Housing Association and can’t thank their staff enough.”
Chris Mathieson, operational service development manager at GHA, said: “Staff were really enthusiastic about supporting these appeals. Our tenants who receive gifts are very appreciative of the help provided by the Cash for Kids toy appeal. It alleviates some of the financial strain at this time of year, meaning they can enjoy watching their children having fun on Christmas Day.
“Our most vulnerable tenants also benefit from the valuable services provided by Somebody Cares and it is great to be able to support their work in this way.”
