Crisis work year round campaigning to facilitate changes that will reduce homelessness and also work directly with homeless people. Homelessness includes those forced into temporary and unstable accommodation as well as those sleeping rough. London has recently seen a spike in rough sleeping with more than 3000 people without any shelter at all.
Over the Christmas period Crisis run the Crisis at Christmas project in London and other parts of the country. They run four day centres, with shower facilities, meals, healthcare, wellbeing services and entertainment, residential centres, a specialist dependency referral centre and warehouse, staffed mostly by volunteers.
Last year staff donated generously to the campaign either directly or via collection points across our campuses. Martin Compton collected and sorted the donations and was able to take five car loads of supplies for redistribution. Last Christmas Martin worked at the East London Day Centre and part of his role was to look after the shower facilities.
He saw how important it was to provide some comfort in the form of toiletries to the guests at the centre, so this year is asking if staff and students would donate the following items, which he will sort and take to the pop-up warehouse well in time for redistribution. This year Martin will be working as a driver across the London area; transporting food and other supplies to centres and also the guests between the centres.
If you are able to, please donate the following items at the collection point located in each of our libraries between 3 and 7 December only:
- New underwear and socks
- Wrapped Toothbrushes
- Toothpaste
- Deodorant (roll-on; not aerosols)
- Disposable safety razors
- Shower gel, moisturiser.
The contact people in the libraries are:
- Stockwell Street: Irene Barranco
- Avery Hill: Barbara Gallagher
- Medway Drill Hall: Paula Parfitt.
Thank you in advance. If you would like further information on direct donations or about volunteering please follow the appropriate link.