I started Pay It Forward Vouchers four years ago, before Covid. One cold evening, I saw a homeless person sitting in a doorway with a hot drink. I wanted to help, but not with another drink—so I created a simple idea: a voucher that lets people choose what they need, with dignity.

At first, the vouchers were sold in independent shops around Cambridge, and later the City Council funded them. Then Covid hit, and everything stopped.

Near the end of lockdown, I discovered evouchers.com, which provides digital vouchers for shops like Primark, Greggs, Boots, Aldi, and Costa. With a grant from the Arnold Clark Foundation, we were able to help hundreds of people—but that funding has now ended.

Today, we rely entirely on donations.

We partner with organisations including Wintercomfort, CHS, Bundles That Love, Caring for Cambridgeshire Homeless, Leicestershire Cares, Single Homeless Project and others who refer clients such as single parents, those temporarily housed, people escaping domestic violence, etc.

Every voucher restores dignity.

A voucher can mean food for the week, toiletries, a warm coat, or a pair of shoes.

Real feedback from people helped:

“I didn’t have proper shoes before… I’m extremely grateful for the Primark voucher so I could buy myself some.”

— Single male, Lincoln

“I was really struggling with no food… I bought bread, milk, sausages, shower gel, and meals. The help was great.”

— Single male

“Essential items—bread, pasta, veg, sauces, milk, squash. Enough for a few meals.”

— Single female, Coventry

We currently support people with:

£10 vouchers for individuals in urgent need

£10–£30 vouchers through partnering organisations

Requests have to be made via www.pifgiftvouchers.org, and vouchers are sent via email or text within 24 hours of acceptance.

If you can, please consider making a regular monthly donation—but one-off gifts are just as valuable.

Every £10 voucher directly helps someone in crisis make their own choices, with dignity and hope.

Thank you for helping people feel seen, supported, and human.