500 together

One of our members asked if we could help a victim of domestic abuse who has not had a permanent home for over 18 months, moving between refuge, temporary accommodation, and other placements. She and her young son have finally moved into a permanent home and have been provided with a gas cooker but unfortunately cannot afford the cost of installation. We were asked if we could pay £154 to get this set up for her, so she can start using that after managing with a temporary 2 ring stove for so long.

We have been asked to be sparing with details of this recipient's situation. We are always very happy to respect such requests. The family were in need of bunk beds to allow their children to have their own beds. Bed poverty is such a grim situation and has so many negative consequences on the whole family. We are pleased we were able to send £450 to help the nominator supporting this particular family purchase this new set of beds.

Our friends at Shasbah (Sheffield Association for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus) asked if we could help one of their older members and his wife, who recently returned from holiday to find their house had burnt down. It's a shell now with water and smoke damage, and they are renting a place near to the house while the insurers make a decision on what might be covered. They are grateful no one was hurt and remain positive despite their significant losses but have been left with nothing and asked if we could send £500 for them to allow them to make some immediate purchases of clothes and other household essentials, as everything had been destroyed. We know our donation really helped in their hour of need.

One of our members told us about a family they are supporting. The family, with 3 boys under the age of 9 years, lives in a small 2-bedroom property, and space constraints are making their living situation particularly challenging. Mum has had a very difficult life and despite her resilience and determination, she is now struggling to make ends meet. She is being assisted with budgeting and debt management, and while she is making very good progress, her financial situation remains extremely tight. One of the biggest challenges she currently faces is her boys' sleeping arrangements. At 2 years old, the youngest boy is still sleeping in a travel cot in his mother’s room and will often disrupt her sleep during the night by climbing in with her. This makes coping with daily life even more difficult. Ideally, mum would like him to sleep in his own bed, and to share a room with her two sons instead. She has no surplus income per month because she is currently paying off debts so ...

Our friends at Shelter asked if we could support a client who fled domestic abuse and was placed in a refuge. She was housed in her first sole tenancy in December 2025. She only receives single person Universal Credit which amounts to £400 per month after rent is deducted. She must manage her household on this small amount. Unfortunately, recently her glasses were broken and when she approached her opticians to get a replacement, she was told that she is not entitled to another free pair via UC until October 2027. Due to her limited income, she has been unable to afford to replace the glasses and she has been having headaches as a consequence of this. We were asked if we could send £80 to help her purchase a decent pair of glasses. Of course, we were happy to do this, and asked her support worker if there was anything else she might need, and agreed we would also send an additional £120 to allow her to buy a small freestanding chest freezer. Two very modest donations to help some...

One of our members asked if we could support the S2 foodbank in Sheffield, a small independent foodbank. Our member is a volunteer there and told us about the project. Unlike some food banks, S2 does not require a professional referral, so people can just turn up to receive a food parcel. However, in return, recipients are expected to engage with the support on offer to help them address the financial difficulties which brought them to the food bank - be that with debt advice or benefits claims, ultimately with the aim of moving them on to shopping in the charity’s community shop. At the moment, donations of food are down 90% on this time last year and the food bank is struggling to fill food bags. We were asked if we could give £500 which will help them restock their shelves and continue with the fantastic work they are doing in the local area. https://www.s2foodbank.org.uk/