Generous mum and boys lead donations to centre
While many tuck into chocolate from their advent calendars this Christmas, one East Malling family are using each new day as a chance to give a little back to those in need.
Supportive mum Vicki Martin, 26, is doing a reverse advent calendar and collecting a new item each morning to donate to Maidstone Day Centre.
The Rocks Road resident wants to encourage her two boys, Tommy, three, and Albie, five months, to get into the habit of helping people less fortunate.
She said: “Tommy is now at an age where he is understanding things and asking loads of questions.
“As Christmas is fast approaching we want to teach him that, firstly, he is very lucky to have everything he does but also that there are people that are much less fortunate and that helping them out is a wonderful and caring thing to do.
“We have decided to do the reverse advent calendar where every day of December we will get an item of food and put it in a big box.
“Then on Saturday, December 23, we will take it down to the Maidstone centre for the homeless to enjoy. I’m really hoping to make this a tradition.”
The centre, in Knightrider Street, is run by Homeless Care, which alongside the Kent Messenger is running the You Can Help campaign.
We are encouraging businesses, schools and families to give what they can to support the town’s vulnerable population, for whom the festive season can be a difficult time.
Each year Maidstone residents and people living further afield have lent their generous support which helps the charity stock up.
Ms Martin, a manager at Schuh in Bluewater who is now on maternity leave, and fiance Dan, 27, have received an enthusiastic response from their eldest.
She said: “I think it is diffi- cult to know how much Tommy understands but he has been saying ‘mummy, let’s put things in the box’ and when we go food shopping he always does the same thing.”