500 together

We were asked if we could help buy a bed for someone being supported by one of our members. She is a care leaver, who has been a victim of domestic abuse. She is heavily pregnant and is sleeping on an airbed. Her support worker asked us for help and of course we were very happy to be able to step in and send £470 to help get a bed frame and mattress. Another great nomination and one we could offer immediate funds for to avoid any delay in getting the help where it was needed.

One of our members asked if we could help a single mum who has a child suffering with respiratory problems due to mould and damp in their home and who also has her terminally ill mum living with them. They told us about the constant battle they have been having with the council to organise for either some radical work to be done on the house or to re-house the family. With negotiation and determination, they have finally managed to get the housing department to take their situation seriously. Substantial repair work needs to be done to the house , but it is not viable for the 3 of them to live amid the disruption, so they are being moved to another 2 bedroom house . Unfortunately, their cooker was condemned so they will not be able to take it with them and their settee will not fit in the smaller home (it also smells fusty due to the current living conditions). We have been asked to send £500 to put towards a cooker and a smaller settee to fit their new living room - which will al...

One of our members asked if we could provide urgent support for a grandmother they are supporting, who has recently taken on the full-time care of her two grandchildren following their emergency removal from their mother’s care due to safeguarding concerns. Our member explained how this arrangement has enabled the children to remain within their family network during a highly distressing time, providing them with continuity, stability, and emotional reassurance. The grandmother herself is disabled and resides in a one-bedroom bungalow. Due to the sudden nature of the placement, she has had to make significant adaptations within her home to accommodate the children. Most notably, she has converted her living room into a bedroom to provide them with a safe and appropriate sleeping space. This has required the urgent purchase of beds and bedding, creating a considerable financial burden. In addition, she is now faced with the cost of removing and disposing of her settee to make adeq...

One of our members told us about B, who has an extensive history of childhood trauma which has flowed into their adult life. They are currently working with mental health services, adult social care & receiving support for alcohol and drug addiction. They have taken a keen interest in boxing and have found some sessions to attend, which they and their support worker feel will be really beneficial in helping recovery and improving their mental health in the long term. We were asked to give £240, which allowed the support worker to help B get the necessary equipment for them to participate in the boxing & gym sessions.

One of our members asked if we could help a young woman, who after a truly dreadful time, has now been offered a flat from the council. It is a familiar situation of an empty house - no carpets, curtains, no furniture or white goods. It is hard to imagine, after so much trauma and suffering, how hard it must be to be faced with a bare and empty house, once your application for housing is finally successful. Our member and others supporting her have helped where they can, but we were pleased to be able to send £500 to allow her to get a few more essentials.  It sounds like she has been incredibly resourceful and has managed to get a second hand washing machine, some curtains and a mattress for a bed she was given. With the remainder she is getting some carpets for the lounge and hopefully the bedroom too.  We send her our very best wishes, knowing how tough things are for her and hope things start to improve as she settles into her new home. Thank you for your continued generosity, whic...

One of our members asked if we could help a family they are supporting, who due to domestic violence had to flee their family home into temporary accommodation. They have just been fortunate in taking on a tenancy for a home where they can build family life back up, mum and 2 children aged 7 and 10. The house does not have any flooring, so we were asked if we could help - all rooms are bare floors at the moment and the family are struggling financially as other furnishings are needed too. We were pleased to send £500 to help the family and wish them well in their new home.

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...