Good morning everyone! Firstly I’d like to welcome a whole host of new members to the fold and thank so many of our lovely gang for getting the word out there and bringing them to us. You can catch up on all the people we’ve helped and find out more about the group on our website 500reasons.org We always welcome nominations that roll over until successful or until you contact us and ask for them to no longer be considered. We only have two rules and they are that nominations shouldn’t have a political or religious bias. This has worked for us for over 5 years and we’re called 500 Reasons because of the diversity of our membership. We are 500 individuals that all want to come together to do a lovely thing each and every week because of this we’d like everyone to feel safe and welcome irrespective of our own personal faiths and views. If you’d like to nominate then please do with NOMINATION in the subject bar. We will always acknowledge your nomination and contact you when successful. You’re able to nominate as many individuals, families, causes, groups and/or charities as you think deserving. Please get in touch with us if you ever have any questions. We can’t do it without your help and support and are completely here for you. Announcing the successful nominations and reading your lovely comments is the highlight of our week and hope it makes you all feel good too? It’s lovely that we’re able to make a small but important difference each and every week and touch the lives of individuals, families and communities the world over. Thank you for your unswerving support, you’re absolutely lovely.
This week’s nomination comes from our brilliant member Roberta Field who’s daughter’s school in London is looking to help some of the most vulnerable families in East London. Whilst most of us are looking forward to the summer holidays and spending time with our families there will be some that without the support of the schools and the spiralling cost of living will be worried about feeding, cleaning and clothing their families. Barncroft school have an incredible initiative to help those families but can’t do it without financial support so it’s our pleasure to be able to pledge this week’s £500 to help them make a difference to those families.
Thank you to each and everyone of you and a huge welcome to our new friends.
Love and respect from the 500 Reasons Admin Team
Joe, Jen, Ray and Char x
Here’s Roberta’s nomination in full:
In the capital, one in six parents have children in food insecurity which means they are unable to access reliable, sufficient, affordable nutritious food. Food bank usage in London has increased over 17-fold in the past decade and the city has one of the highest proportions of students on free school meals. My daughter’s school Barn Croft in Walthamstow has a wonderful sense of community and support. Last year they set up a share shop to provide support to any family who were experiencing financial difficulties by providing some household essentials (a significant impact of the cost rising food prices has been struggling families forgoing basics like shampoo, deodorant, toothpaste, soap and period products as they view them as ‘luxuries’ far behind food and warmth). Unfortunately, the hut they used to store and distribute donations from is no longer available, but during the cost of living crisis, families need their/our support more than ever. Due to a lack of space to accept and store donated items, the school has had to change the way it helps families with these essential items. The aim is to be able to raise funds, through donations, to purchase the essential household items and then to fill household bags ready to be donated to those who need them. The frequency that this much-needed support will be provided will have to be based on funding however the aim is to provide the bags monthly/half-termly, if possible. The school has costed the bags to be equivalent to around £10 each. Whilst it has undergone significant transformation, Waltham Forest remains in the 25% most deprived boroughs in the country and a donation of £500 (providing 50 bags of household essentials which families are potentially going completely without) would be an enormous boost to this fund and to the families in our school who need it the most.