Welcome - Thanks for taking the time to visit this Just Giving page.

Specifically your funding will go towards purchasing the below items for the homeless this Christmas in 2021:

• Hats/socks/gloves/scarves
• Leggings
• Deodorants/face wipes/shower gels
• Ladies sanitary products
• Men’s boxers
• Women’s underwear
  
• Unisex T-shirts S/M/L
• Tracksuit bottoms unisex S/M/L
• Hoodies S/M/L
• Trainers (7-10) men and ladies (4-7)
• Sweaters, coats and thermal clothing
• Small note pads and pens
• Coffee shop gift cards around £5.00 or £10.00
• Shampoos/deodorants/shaving foam or gels
• Toothbrushes/toothpaste/hairbrushes

How did this campaign start ?

In Autumn of 2017 I was Finance Manager for locality of Reading for Berkshire Health Care NHS Foundation Trust.

In my monthly meeting I was asked for extra funding by the Health Outreach Liaison Team (HOLT). HOLT provide clinics and go out nightly to individuals who are living on the streets to check on their physical and mental health needs. Many of these people are ageing. In addition to the issues resulting from their lifestyle have all the usual age related health problems made worse by their lives and exposure on the streets.

I knew there was no extra funding available.  Walking back to my car after the meeting I was really troubled, disheartened and felt a strong sense of failure, I said to myself I have to do something to help support obtain extra funding for this cause.

I decided to run a shoe box appeal which I originally started in 2017 for The HOLT to collect items for homeless.  I got fantastic support from colleagues and their families to support our local NHS team to bring a little cheer to homeless people in our area at Christmas.

I started this appeal by creating a poster and then donations very quickly started to arrive!  People from within the Berkshire NHS Healthcare Foundation Trust would bring me all the items which were listed on the poster and often new items purchased from the shops.  These items were all sorted,  picked and we created many shoes boxes for the Homeless. During our lunch time my colleagues would take in turn to help me to pick items to make up each shoes box.  We set up a production line where some would cut wrapping paper, apply cello-tape and check shoes boxes which were made gender specific. At Christmas 2017 a total of 148 shoes boxes were made and distributed in Berkshire.

As this campaign was so successful I have been running campaigns every year.  This will be my 5th year to run this appeal for Homeless. Since the pandemic in 2020, I believe it is ever more important to support the homeless as the number of people that requires support has increased. For 2020 appeal the total donations were raised for the sum of £1,836.25 including gift aid.  Also the staff and families of Berkshire Healthcare NHS FT donated:

30 Bags (sacks) of second clothes

5 Bags (sacks) of new items including underwear and toiletries.

Your donations would be going to an extremely worthy cause as The HOLT staff are engaging very closely, at a personal level, with people in Berkshire who are homeless. They develop caring relationships with the individuals and build up rapport, human contact and communicate with humour to help support their mental well-being in what are often difficult care conditions. This team sees the damage that isolation brings, especially at times of year which are particularly family centred celebrations.

I would kindly ask to please give no matter how small the amount as your donations will make all the difference to the homeless this Christmas.

Warm Regards – Anita Patel