People are invited to donate as much as they can so each of the 68 care homes in the city can enjoy a luxury hamper with their residents this Christmas.
The campaign follows the success of the ‘One City Fund’ from earlier this year which raised more than £90,000 to support struggling people and families during the pandemic.
The project aims to raise £25,000 with all donations going to hampers for care homes. Organisations, businesses and individuals can make a donation on the JustGiving website.
The campaign has got off to a great start with the help of supermarket Tesco PLC, which has pledged £500 worth of goods to kick start the appeal in addition to producing the hampers with City of Wolverhampton Council.
Kindness of Christmas will be delivered alongside West Midlands Police’s ‘Festive Kindness’ campaign which also seeks to show support and care for the vulnerable by distributing Christmas cards to residents of care homes as well as food and toys to food banks across the city.
Leader of the Council, Councillor Ian Brookfield, said “Although the pandemic has been a challenging time for everyone, it has been particularly difficult for those in care homes who haven’t been able to have visits from loved ones throughout the year.
“Christmas should be a time for celebration and a time to be with the ones you love, but this year we know it will be very different for a lot of families.
“We wanted to do something special for all the residents who are away from their families at this time and be able to share with them a token of our appreciation, to let them know that we are thinking of them and how important they are to us all.
“The One City Fund showed us what a resilient, caring and community spirited city Wolverhampton is and I urge businesses and citizens to contribute whatever they can afford to this campaign that we will once again show how we look after our own.”
Superintendent Simon Inglis said “As an organisation we have seen first hand the impact the pandemic has had on those who live and work in the city. It has been especially hard on the vulnerable, both those who are elderly and those who have suffered financial hardship due to loss of income.
“We are really keen to show those vulnerable people that they matter and we care. Our staff have donated all the food and gifts for the food banks and personally signed each of the Christmas cards. We are now keen to work together with the great council ‘Kindness of Christmas’ campaign to distribute our cards and their hampers to our care homes and the food and toys we’ve collected to our food banks.
“This year has been extraordinary and one which has affected so many people in so many ways. Let’s finish it off in a really positive way and do what we can to help vulnerable people feel like they should – valued and loved.”
John Brooks, Tesco Store Director in the West Midlands said: “After the events of 2020, Christmas means more to people than ever. It can be a very tough time for those in care homes and away from loved ones, so this year it is even more important to show support and bring some festive cheer with a food hamper.
“The pandemic has demonstrated how people pull together through adversity, and it’s this solidarity that keeps us all going. We’re delighted to support City of Wolverhampton Council and the Kindness at Christmas campaign in reaching out to care home residents so they can feel supported and cared for during uncertain times.”
To make a donation, please visit JustGiving.
The campaign runs until Sunday 20 December, 11.59pm.
The campaign follows the previous phases of the One City Fund crowd funding initiative, a collaboration between the City of Wolverhampton Council, Wolverhampton Voluntary Sector Council (WVCS) and several organisations from across Wolverhampton, aimed at supporting vulnerable groups in the City during the pandemic.
A total of 4 campaigns were run under the One City Fund umbrella, each with a particular focus; people facing severe financial hardship as a result of Covid-19, raising vital funds to support the increased demand on the city’s food banks, supporting the homeless and helping people who have no access to technology to access important services or information.
