796 disadvantaged children to receive donated gifts this Christmas
News article from December 21, 2018
Here at School-Home Support, we’ve been busy making sure the disadvantaged children and families we’re here to help receive a gift this Christmas.
Our #SHSChristmasKindness campaign has seen generous Londoners buying, wrapping, and delivering presents to schools across the capital – and this year, 796 children in 34 schools will receive amazing thoughtful gifts. For many, this will be their only present. Christmas is a difficult time for families living in poverty, and this wonderful donation will mean so much.
School-Home Support’s corporate partners and supporters play a crucial role in alleviating the financial pressure felt by families living in poverty, by taking part in the #SHSChristmasKindness Campaign. It is a great way for corporate volunteers to provide much-needed practical help to the children we support at Christmas. Many staff choose to involve their own children in selecting a gift, sharing the message that not all children are fortunate enough to receive gifts at Christmas. This year, staff from ten of School-Home Support’s corporate partners Christmas provided presents for 400 children at 16 primary and secondary schools around London. 18 businesses connected to SHS through community links also participated, allowing us to make even more families smile.
From musical instruments to chemistry sets, inspiring books to interesting games, we were delighted to see how thoughtful and creative this year’s presents have been! Once they were wrapped (top marks for presentation) and delivered into school with a smile, SHS practitioners then got busy distributing them before the Christmas break. For many of the families we support, Christmas is a particularly stressful time. Essentials such as food, heating, and warm winter clothes often take financial priority, yet parents still want to provide a special experience for their children and loved ones – that’s why these presents have such an impact.
“Many of the families that we support will not be able to afford to buy Christmas presents this year for their children. It’s so lovely that our partners contribute in this way, we’ve been delighted at the number of staff who’ve wanted to get involved, people have been very generous. Huge thanks to everyone who donated a present, it will bring smiles to children’s faces on Christmas Day.”
– Emma Mortoo, Senior Partnerships Manager
If you’d like to get your company involved next year please contact Lydia Edwards by email lydia.edwards@shs.org.uk