Compass Group who are one of the UK’s top catering, hospitality, and business support providers, based in Chertsey, have been helping the local homeless with the donation of rucksacks.
Megan at Just a Helping Hand told us
“To have this amazing donation of rucksacks is honestly just incredible, and we are truly grateful.
We have many distributors who issue rucksacks to those who need them most. One such group is women who are released from prison. Many of these women being released are homeless and some come from domestic abuse situations. We take this into account when filling these rucksacks.
Can you imagine the feelings of these women when they open their rucksack and find such lovely things as a wash bag filled with deodorant, toothpaste and toothbrush, nail file, and lip balm. But there is much more – including a pack of new socks and underwear, a flask (with refill information for free at local outlets), hat, scarf and gloves, meal vouchers, and a small Bible.
Such an act of kindness makes such a difference to them from both a practical and an emotional point of view. It has been said to us that such generosity from a stranger provides a real sense of being cared for and thought about. This can ease anxiety, provide hope, help with depression and even remove thoughts of suicide”
With the help of VM Ware Staines donation, Surplus to Supper were able to buy and pack Sunbury Community Boxes full of treats for local elderly people in isolation which were distributed with the help of Sunbury Neighbours and London Irish Rugby Club
Colleagues at ServiceNow in Staines raised £8,469 for the Runnymede Foodbank which went directly to putting food on the table for people in the local community facing financial crisis during Covid-19.
Local foodbanks need your support with donation of non-perishable food or a financial donation.
Runnymede:
Runnymede Foodbank
Food donations to any of the food bank centres or at 95, Guildford Street, Chertsey.
Make a financial donation via their Virgin Money page link on the Runnymede Foodbank website.
Spelthorne:
Community Foodbank – Sunbury and Shepperton:
Food donations to Saviours Church, 205 Vicarage Rd, Sunbury-on-Thames TW16 7TP.
Contact: community@stsaviourssunbury.org.uk
Make a financial donation to the Community Foodbank on the St Saviour’s Sunbury Community Foodbank website
Manna Foodbank
Food donation points https://www.mannafoodbank.co.uk/where_to_donate_
Contact: Jean Pinkerton on 07770 478778 or info@mannafoodbank.org.uk
Make a financial donation to (please ensure your donation is referenced ‘Foodbank’ or ‘Manna Foodbank’):
Stanwell Foodbank
Donations of food to the The Pavilion, Cambria Gardens, Stanwell, TW19 7ER
Contact Anna-Marie Goodacre on 07429 584286 or info@stanwellfoodbank.org.uk
The Salvation Army – Ashford
Donations to be placed by the main door at the Community Centre, Woodthorpe Road, Ashford, TW15 3HY. Food bank opening hours 9am – 12 midday from Monday to Friday.
Contact : Cath Maughan on 01784 423424 or staines@salvationarmy.org.uk
Financial donations by cash and cheque should be sealed in an envelope and posted through the letterbox. Anyone requiring a receipt should include their name and address in the envelope.
Surrey Heath:
Besom Food Bank
Non perishable food donations to High Cross Church, Knoll Rd, Camberley GU15 3SY
Financial donations via the High Cross Church Camberley website.
Payroll Giving is a scheme run through HMRC which allows employees to make simple, tax-effective donations to any UK charity or good cause. Employees can give to any organisation recognised as charitable by HMRC.
As a charity, Payroll Giving provides an unrestricted source of regular income for your cause, and when you receive donations through Payroll Giving there is no need to apply for Gift Aid, saving you money and time. As opposed to Gift Aid where donations can only be increased by 25% regardless of the donor’s tax bracket, Payroll Giving allows charities to receive the full tax relief. This is particularly beneficial for donations from higher rate tax-payers.
For a donor, the advantages of making a donation to charity through Payroll Giving are:
Employers who pay employees or pensioners through PAYE, set up a Payroll Giving scheme through a Payroll Giving agency, using the list of organisations approved and monitored by HMRC to set up a scheme. Deductions are made each time payroll is run by the employer, with the donation taken from employees’ pay before tax (but after National Insurance). The donations are then sent to the Payroll Giving agency who pass them on to the chosen charities. Some agencies charge an administration fee, although the employee can opt for the fee to be deducted from their donation.
As an employer, most corporate organisations realise how important Corporate Social Responsibility is, both for their reputation as a responsible business and a good employer. By having a payroll giving scheme, businesses can offer a genuine employee benefit and boost their CSR at the same time. Choosing a charity for the whole organisation to support each year can also be a great employee engagement activity, with additional fundraising events from time to time building team spirit and pride in the organisation.
And finally the good news from HMRC is that employers can deduct any costs of running the scheme from their business profits before tax.
Details on the HMRC website