The Good Shepherd is again taking part in the Big Give’s Christmas Challenge campaign and is now seeking pledges which will be DOUBLED as a result of the annual fundraising initiative.
Are you planning on organising a fundraiser this Christmas? Are you a business which is holding an event or makes an annual donation to charity? A faith group staging a Christmas fayre or collection and looking for someone to support? An individual who wants to help make a sustained change to someone’s life this year?
If so, and you are able to consider the Good Shepherd, all we need is a pledge of a minimum of £100 to be made to the Big Give before midnight on September 2nd, which will then have to be paid in January, 2023.
The Good Shepherd has set a target of £3,000 in pledges, which will then be doubled by the Big Give, along with donations made by non-pledgers during the action week of November 29 to December 6.
“We know these are challenging times for a lot of people but the Big Give is a really important campaign for the Good Shepherd as it provides vital funding for our food service heading into the New Year,” says Business & Finance Manager Helen Holloway.
“The huge benefit of the Christmas campaign is that pledges that are made will be doubled by the Big Give, so people who are able to make that commitment now can be safe in the knowledge that their support will have double the impact.
“So, if you are considering making a donation to the Good Shepherd, or holding a fundraising event before the end of the year, if you are able to make the pledge now then your contribution will ensure we are able to support more people who are struggling in our local community.
“The demand for our food service and family food pantry is increasing at the moment and we would expect it to increase further over the coming months, so, as ever, the wonderful donations of food and money we receive from our supporters will continue to help us help others through these difficult times.
“Your support of the food service will also have an added effect, as we often find that those accessing the Good Shepherd for a meal or food parcel also have other complex issues which our support workers can also help them with.”
Between January and March of this year there was a 38% increase in families accessing the Family Food Pantry at the Good Shepherd and a 47% increase in new people accessing the food service.
During the three months a total of 4,706 hot meals were provided and 2,410 food parcels for families and individuals.
It also costs £140,000 a year to run the food service although that figure would be considerably higher if it wasn’t for receiving donations of food from the local community and food distributors which includes their excess stock, as well as campaigns like the Big Give.
CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE BIG GIVE WEBSITE IF YOU WISH TO MAKE A PLEDGE