Lincolnshire Co-op raises nearly £300k for homeless charities

Homeless people across the county will benefit from an extra £290,000 worth of support thanks to a three-month fundraising campaign by Lincolnshire Co-op.

From December to February, 14 organisations tackling homelessness in Lincolnshire were chosen as Co-op’s community champions. This meant that every time a member shopped in a local Co-op with their dividend card, a donation was made to these causes.

Some of the charities selected included Framework, The Nomad Trust and P3.

Proceeds from carrier bag charges and staff fundraising – such as the £1,000 raised by staff who completed sponsored sleep outs in Boston and Lincoln – were added, bringing the total raised amount to £147,534.

Donations of £143,000 worth of food and groceries were also made to the charities, including 200 Christmas turkeys.

Shoppers contributed 97 boxes of toiletries through collection points at Lincolnshire Co-op’s pharmacies and gifted Christmas presents through the travel branches.

Danny Nichols from P3 and Lincolnshire Co-op’s President Stuart Parker.

Sam Turner, Lincolnshire Co-op’s Community Engagement Manager, said: “We have been blown away by the generosity of our members, customers and colleagues.

“Together, we have been able to offer these groups a huge amount of support – both financial and practical.

“The 14 groups which have benefitted are doing incredible work in our area with some of the most vulnerable people in our communities.

“We’re so pleased that together we’ve been able to contribute.”

Charity P3 – People, Potential, Possibilities helps rough sleepers throughout Lincolnshire and offers a support service to people in accommodation who face potential housing issues. It will benefit from £42,998.

Operations Manager Jonny Goldsmith said: “We’re living and working in challenging times where the needs of our clients and the demands placed upon our services are greater than ever.

“Whilst we don’t rely on donations to fund the work that we do, we are truly grateful to Lincolnshire Co-op and its members for this incredible act of generosity. It will enable us to increase our current service provision.”

Lisa Del Buono (left) and Jess Powell from Framework (right) with Lincolnshire Co-op’s President Stuart Parker.

Framework will receive £36,229. It runs services including emergency and Move On accommodation in locations across the county, including Lincoln, Boston, Spalding, Holbeach and Sleaford.

Framework’s Jess Powell said: “It’s incredible – it’s the largest single donation we’ve ever received from a business and it’s going to do massive amounts to help us continue and improve.

“There’s a few things that we offer across our accommodation services, such as Skills Plus sessions which look at budgeting, healthy relationships, being a good neighbour, things that set people up to live independently in the long term.

“We also provide move on packs that include essentials for when they’re moving on to live on their own such as a bed, kettle and cooker.”

A full list of the charities receiving donations include:

• P3 – People, Potential, Possibilities. Lincolnshire-wide: £42,998.
• Framework. Lincoln, Boston, Spalding, Holbeach, Sleaford and Newark: £36,229.
• The Nomad Trust. Lincoln area. £28,700.
• Harbour Place. Grimsby area. £9,450.
• Axiom Homeless Action. Gainsborough and Market Rasen area. £7,715.
• Centrepoint Outreach, Boston area. £5,779.
• Emmaus Trust Newark. £6,043.
• Salvation Army, East Lindsey. £5,513.
• The Forge Project, Scunthorpe. £3,870.
• Over £1,280 was also split between Hope Community Services in Worksop, Grantham Poverty Concern, The Purfleet Trust in Kings Lynn, Foundation in Scarborough and Doorstep in Hull.