Staff swap hampers for money for homeless
Over the last few months, Worthing based company, Applied Kilovolts, has been very generous with its support of Turning Tides, a local charity which believes that everyone should have a place they can call home.
Following an initial tour of one of Turning Tides Community Hubs, Jeff Packham, Production Planner, returned to work at Applied Kilovolts and energised the management team and staff to get behind Turning Tides.
Applied Kilovolts Limited, subsidiary of L3Harris Technologies, first jumped on board in November by collecting a van full of clothing and goods. This extended to supporting the Festival of Trees in Shoreham with fabulous prizes and purchasing raffle tickets for their staff. Involvement culminated this month in 13 staff giving up their Christmas hamper gift and the company donating £25 per hamper instead. This has raised £325!!
‘The plight of our local homeless men and women has been on the minds of our staff and we wanted to make a difference. It has been so rewarding knowing that the money we have donated and the goods and clothing collected have been really appreciated’ comments Jeff.
This was a very simple idea where the swap meant funds were redirected, from a specific company budget allocated to purchasing staff hampers, to supporting Turning Tides. Jeff continues: ‘we have been so pleased to help at this time of year but we know homelessness is a year-round problem. We expect to continue our relationship and currently deciding on our charity of the year, which could be Turning Tides’.
Abbi Last, Corporate Fundraiser comments: ‘It means a lot to our clients that so many people care about them. By teaming up with us, staff have not just given financial support for the charity at a time when we are facing cuts, but also demonstrated compassion and solidarity towards everyone who is experiencing homelessness, whether they are rough sleeping or insecurely housed.’
Turning Tides clients rely on the generosity and kindness of their community for many things including the absolute basics of washing facilities, food and water. Without our Community Hubs in Horsham, Littlehampton and Worthing they would find themselves without.
CALL TO ACTION: Homelessness is a community problem and our community working together is the solution.
As a company, organisation, community group, church, school or as a family group, group of friends or as an individual - there are so many ways to get involved with Turning Tides.
By supporting you benefit in so many ways by boosting morale through giving back, gaining new skills, improving corporate social responsibility and also contributing towards building a compassionate community.
Contact: Moira Gardner, Community Fundraiser – [email protected] TEL: 01903 680740