Leamington business steps up to provide Christmas meals for homeless charity

A Leamington business has stepped up to help provide Christmas meals for charity.

Helping Hands, which is also based in Leamington, works with vulnerable and homeless people in the district by providing much-needed help through a soup kitchen, their cafe in Warwick, skills training and their ‘House2Home’ service, which provides household items that the tenants could not afford to buy themselves.

The charity is unable to host its usual Christmas meal for clients because of restrictions due to the pandemic meaning that they can only supply food to take away.

Despite this the team at the charity were determined to still offer a festive treat to those in need and now they can thanks to the generosity of The Glasshouse in Jephson Gardens.

The cafe has stepped in to offer 60 boxed up Christmas meals for Helping Hands to give out at the soup kitchen on Thursday (December 17th).

Helpings Hands, which works throughout the year to support those in need, is braced for a rise in demand for that support in 2021 in light of the economic downturn, and particularly job losses, caused by Covid-19.

Like all charities, they have seen their income hit this year, so the support they receive from local individuals, groups and businesses has never been more appreciated.

This week also brought another boost with a £5,000 donation from The Box Factory, based in Sydenham.

Such generosity, at the end of what has been such a difficult year for businesses, is just further testament to the compassion and kindness of the local community, according to Helping Hands chief executive Lianne Kirkman.

"With the restrictions in place this year we were struggling to work out how to do a Christmas meal," said Lianne. "So the wonderful gesture from The Glasshouse has solved that problem for us.

"We are so thankful to them and all who have supported us through what has been a very tough for year for all.

"The Box Factory is a perfect example of a business which continues to support us so generously but never want or ask for any public recognition.

"We think they deserve some.

"To everyone who has supported us in so many ways during 2020, we cannot thank you enough.

"Throughout such a tough year we have kept the soup kitchen open four evenings per week and that has been driven by the big hearts of those around us in Leamington, Warwick and Kenilworth.

"Thank you all."