500 together

With this donation we have helped Sheffield Food Chain, a wholly volunteer-run small charity, which offers a lifeline to people in communities primarily across south-east Sheffield experiencing food poverty amidst the cost-of-living crisis. Food Chain was founded in the summer of 2023 to fill a gap in support left when another community food project closed down. It became a charity in its own right in November 2023 and is now run by seven trustees and over 30 committed volunteers. Their motto is ‘cook, pedal, serve’ and they make nutritious meals using fresh food that would otherwise go to waste, donated by local wholefood sellers. Every meal is prepared from scratch by volunteers at weekly batch cooking sessions, then packaged and frozen ready to be delivered by volunteer cyclists. They deliver 5-10 frozen meals to each client’s doorstep every week, around 100 meals in total, supporting around 60 local people. To find out more, please do have a look at their website: https://sheffi...

One of our long standing members wrote to us asking if we could help the Sheffield Samaritans. After training to become a listening volunteer, she has also joined the training team and seen first hand how little funding they have, making it hard to invest in equipment they need. Sheffield Samaritans has provided confidential emotional support, by telephone, face-to-face, email and letter since 1965. They provide support 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by volunteers. They enable people in Sheffield and the surrounding area who are experiencing feelings of distress or despair, including those who may be at risk of suicide, to receive confidential telephone, email and face-to-face support at any time of the day or night, in order to improve their mental health and to reduce the incidence of suicide. They promote a better understanding in society of suicide, suicidal behaviour and the value of expressing feelings which may otherwise lead to suicide or impaired emotional ...

One of our members asked if we could help a young family who have had a really tough time for the past few years. We have been asked not to share all the details, but were pleased to be able to help and send a much needed £500. They sent us a lovely message to tell us how they had used the donation, and how much it had helped: We were able to get a full food shop which we were very grateful for! A brand new hoover, and microwave to help us cook quick and easy meals when E can’t cook due to her illness:)) We honestly are so so grateful for the £500, without it we would have really struggled !” As always, we were really happy to help this family out after all they have been through.

One of our members asked if we could help someone their organisation is supporting, who is 10 months into recovery. She has been experiencing stalking and harassment from an ex partner for the past 4 years and she is awaiting a CPS charging decision after being assisted to report the incidents. She had found it hard to go out through fear of coming into contact with her ex partner and had become isolated. Since support commenced in June last year, she has gained confidence and began to alleviate fears of being in a social setting. She has since joined creative writing sessions , become a volunteer and attends a local choir each week. Something that was not even imaginable for her last year. She is building friendships and finally seeing a future for herself. The whole way through support she has worked on self-care/worth and tidying/sorting her flat, which was overly cluttered through hoarding. She is finally at a place where she acknowledges that she deserves to live in an env...

We are pleased to be back with news of donation 253, which has gone to help S replace her tri-ride - an electric wheel, which attaches to a manual wheelchair to facilitate activities outside the home. Her existing tri-ride has broken, and without it, getting out and about is really difficult. They are expensive items to buy, but so vital for independence. We were pleased to be able to send £500 towards the cost.

One of our members asked if we could send £450 to a mum who has escaped domestic abuse with two young children. Due to the housing crisis and overwhelmed services she has not been well looked after during her time of need by some services. The money is to help her pay for an air fryer so she can feed her children in the hotel room she's currently living in (sounds luxurious but it's a far cry from a holiday!) and to pay for extra parking costs that have accrued due to not being able to park at home, as she has a reliance on her car due to her physical disabilities. The future looks difficult for everyone who needs council housing, even with priority the waiting time is about a year and private renting is difficult to access if on benefits. However this money will help her at crisis point and is very much appreciated.