Homelessness charity gets £10k from M&S

MONEY DONATED BY FOSSE PARK STORE TO SUPPORT CITY GROUP

THE Marks & Spencer store in Fosse Park has handed out some of the chain’s £2 million Christmas fund to a Leicester charity.

The cash pot is being spread out among good causes up and down the country, including to some chosen by celebrities including The Crown star Olivia Colman and Dame Helen Mirren.

Ten cheques for £10,000 are also being handed out to individual stores, including Fosse Park.

The money will go to the Leicester charity Help the Homeless, which is a partner of the store and has been supported by staff including customer assistant Kyle Palmer.

He said: “At M&S we are proud of the role we play in our community.

“It’s fantastic we can donate a monumental amount.

“This has been a difficult year for all of us and we are thrilled to support our brilliant charity partner Help the Homeless Leicester, which helps people living on the streets return to their community and rebuild their lives.”

The donation has gone towards providing food parcels to people in Leicester who are shielding or isolating.

It will also help the charity find accommodation for homeless people and reduce the number of homeless people on the streets. Over the past two years, the charity has helped 120 homeless people across Leicester find a home.

Kyle has previously worked with Help the Homeless Leicester, volunt e e r i n g during the festive season to provide food parcels and gloves to keep homeless people fed and warm over Christmas.

More recently, as part of his volunteering work, Kyle spent a night sleeping on the streets in

Leicester to get a true feeling of how difficult the conditions are for homeless people in the city.

Arif Voraji, founder of Help the Homeless Leicester, said: “Charities are under immense pressure and need support now more than ever.

“This generous donation from M&S will help us to support our community by providing as many food parcels as possible to those in need, from people living on the streets to those isolating or shielding due to Covid-19.”

Andrew Aveyard, store manager at M&S Fosse Park, said: “We are proud of the fantastic charity work Kyle has done over the years, and I am thrilled M&S Food has chosen to donate £10,000 to Help the Homeless.

“The work Help the Homeless does in our community is incredibly important and we are delighted to have been able to support them.”

This generous donation will help us provide as many food parcels as possible

Arif Voraji, Help the Homeless Leicester