CHRISTMAS IS ALMOST upon us and no doubt you’ve been swamped with present-buying and parties.
If you’ve been considering those less fortunate than you and wondering how you can help, here’s a list of the ways your money can help people this Christmas with Dublin Simon Community.
A donation of €10 will give a homeless person a much-needed bed for the night – bringing with it some of the comforts of home, even for an evening. It also helps to link them in with services to assist them to move on from homelessness for good.
For €20 you could provide a person sleeping rough with a personal hygiene kit. Obviously it’s hard to keep clean when sleeping rough and this pack goes a long way to help. It contains a toothbrush, toothpaste, cleaning wipes, deodorant, underwear, socks and sanitary towels and makes a huge difference in the life of someone battling homelessness.
A donation of €30 will give someone an evening at the Simon Social Club where they can get involved in meaningful activities as well as having fun. Members will have access to a computer, be able to socialise and chat with people, and just have somewhere to warm up during the cold winter evenings.
Giving €50 to Dublin Simon Community will help them provide a bed, dinner and the joy of receiving a present from under the Christmas tree to one of their residents. Simon staff and volunteers will be on hand over the Christmas period to make sure everyone has a great day during this time of the year.
A donation of €75 will provide someone sleeping rough with a winter warmer kit comprising a sleeping bag, ground mat, backpack, hat, scarf, gloves and winter thermals. This kit could make all the difference to someone on a cold winter’s night, and is really important coming into the end of December and the New Year when it’s going to get colder.
People moving into their own homes need little bits and pieces such as kettles, irons, toasters and crockery to get them set up. A €100 donation will go towards a home-starter pack as well as support, information and advice on how to maintain their new home, and not fall back into homelessness.
An emergency pack is made up of a back-pack with a built-in sleeping mat, a sleeping bag and rain jacket and €250 could provide 10 of these to people sleeping on the streets. An emergency pack will make a big difference for people unable to find accommodation for the night.
Dublin Simon Community run supported housing services for people who have experienced homelessness but are unable to live independently. €500 will provide this service with light and heat for one week and is an excellent way to help someone move forward in their lives, and out of sleeping rough and homelessness.
If you’re looking to help out this Christmas, please consider donating to the Dublin Simon Community. You can find out more here or donate below.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say