Call for gifts for children and single adults
HURST: A charity supporting people in times of personal crisis has launched a Christmas appeal for presents to give to children and single adults this year, writes Jade Kidd.
The Cowshed is asking the public, community and local businesses to support the appeal by donating new gifts.
For children, the gifts are then collected into individual sacks made from Christmas fabric by the charity’s team of craft volunteers.
Each contains one main present, two smaller presents, a reading book or colouring book and pens, a chocolate selection pack and some stocking fillers.
Through its Christmas project, the charity also supports single adults, including care leavers with little or no family support, and the local homeless community, by providing them with a single gift.
This is the second year the appeal has been run, with the charity giving out 1,200 sacks last year.
This year the numbers have increased, with the charity already receiving more than 1,800 referrals for children’s sacks and more than 400 referrals
for single adults.
Rebecca Mole, fundraising co-ordinator, said: “This year the numbers are so very high and we’ve had a lot of support but not enough and stocks are running very low so we are reaching out as much as we can.”
The charity welcomes any new toy donations, including books, colouring books and colouring pens, suitable for all ages.
She added: “It just eases the financial burden on these families because Christmas is obviously a very highly pressured time.”
Donations can be made in a number of ways including:
W Buying a gift from the Amazon Wishlist (tinyurl .com/2p8dw6ua)
W Making a donation on JustGiving (tinyurl.com/ 2p93vk9a)
W Texting GIVEAGIFT to 70460 to donate £10 (standard network charges apply)
W Bringing or arranging for donations to be delivered to Unit 2, Bennet Court, Bennet Road, Reading RG2 0QX, from Monday to Thursday or Saturday from 10am to 3pm.
All gift donations need to be received by early next week.