Story
On 13th September, I’ll be taking on the challenge of cycling from London to Paris with 21 of my Pret colleagues. I've been training hard and my motivation for doing so is to raise as much as possible to support the incredible work of The Pret Foundation, a charity that works tirelessly to make a difference to the lives of people experiencing homelessness, hunger, and poverty.
I've had the privilege to work alongside The Pret Foundation and its network of charities, and seen first hand the positive impact they have. From working with Rising Stars in the Pret office, to volunteer days packing and distributing food boxes at the Felix Project, collecting bread for the Vineyard Community Centre, and handing out warm clothing at WSUP Woolwich for those sleeping on the streets - every one of these initiatives supports people at risk and helps to get them back on their feet.
Thank you for your generosity!
More About The Pret Foundation
Last year, The Pret Foundation supported over 100 people into sustainable employment and out of homelessness, for good, through The Rising Stars programme. People like Zizo, who was forced to leave his home country by the government and travelled to the UK seeking asylum. After two years of living in shared housing, and unable to work whilst his application was processed, he was granted asylum and given just 4 days to leave his accommodation. With no job and no money, Zizo found himself sleeping on the streets. The charity Crisis found him somewhere to live and referred him to The Pret Foundation’s Rising Stars programme. Zizo has now graduated from the programme, has a stable job in a Pret shop, and is thriving under the guidance of his team and support from The Pret Foundation. Zizo said
"the Rising Star programme, it helped me. I was homeless, I was jobless. Pret gave me a really good chance to stay alive so that I can sort out my life."
The Pret Foundation has committed to supporting another 400 Rising Stars through the programme over the next four years. Your donation could support someone like Zizo out of the cycle of homelessness. A donation of £25 can pay for a Rising Star to receive a certificate and gift at their graduation, and £90 could pay for a Rising Star to attend a private counselling session. If you’re feeling generous, £180 covers the cost for a Rising Star cohort to attend a chat group session, led by a qualified counsellor, where they can share their challenges in a safe and supported environment.