We are supporting the following good causes, responding to the hardships caused by the lockdown to many in our communities, both here locally and overseas. Each of them have received £500 from our fundraising activities.
Staffordshire Women’s Aid
Women in vulnerable situations are at increased risk of domestic abuse under lockdown. We have supported Staffordshire Women’s Aid for many years, and we are keenly aware of the heightened need for their services at the moment.
For more information on our work in helping reduce the incidence of violence against women, visit Our Projects.
Rising Brook Food Bank
Food banks too are essential, with so many people and families suffering the loss of income from lockdown. Rising Brook Food Bank is run by the local Baptist church, based on the Wolverhampton Road, serving the local community.
DFN UK
DFN UK‘s aim is Dignity and Freedom for the poor, the marginalised and the outcastes of southern Asia. They run a range of programmes – education, health, trafficking prevention and economic empowerment. At the moment, they are working on projects in India to help stem the spread and impact of Covid 19, focussing on health education, providing personal protective equipment, assisting Covid-positive patients at their clinics including two in areas where the virus is prevalent and providing food to those most in need.
Samaritans in Stafford
We are all familiar with the work of the Samaritans. Their vision is a simple one – that fewer people die by suicide. They achieve this by just being there at the end of a telephone line (or by receiving emails, or visits in person) to listen to whatever the caller wants to tell them. And by doing that they can potentially make a big difference to the caller’s mental health.
They do not judge nor do they question the caller about their background. They do not give advice but encourage callers to talk about their worries and emotions, believing that keeping such things to yourself can make matters worse. Sharing is good – but not through social media, which is the source of many of the problems they hear about. The Samaritans provide a safe place to unburden yourself.
The service is an interesting mix of local and national. The call line (116 123) is covered 24/7 by a national rota of volunteers but sadly there are not enough volunteers and calls can (and sometimes do) go unanswered. The volunteers at the Stafford branch make a big contribution of hours to the national rota. In normal times they are also available in person, for a face-to-face conversation, but obviously during lockdown this is not possible.
With the Covid 19 pandemic, the threat to people’s mental health is widely recognised. Stafford Samaritans are a lifeline for many distressed people.
SIGBI Benevolent Fund
SIGBI Benevolent Fund provides financial help to Soroptimists across the Federation who are in need; there have been many calls on their help in recent months from members whose income has been seriously reduced by Covid 19.