The past couple of months have been very strange for all of us. The streets have been quieter, events we are used to attending have all stopped. When the restrictions were announced on Monday 23rd March, my first thought was how could NewStarts support it’s community, my second was, could we survive this latest episode in our life?
Thanks to so many including big companies, little companies and so many individuals not only have we been able to support our community with food and furniture, we have also been blessed both financially and in goods. We cannot find words to express our gratitude. For those who have provided food such as Waitrose, Morrisons, Lidl, Queens Chip Shop, Pat’s Fish and Chips, Worcestershire County Council, McDonalds Wychbold, Bumble Hole Foods and many others; for those who have arranged collections Bromsgrove Sporting, NewSong Community Church, St Chads Church, Harry and the many street collections, the many individuals who have dropped off items and from whom we have collected. We are also grateful to those who donated financially or provided grants for our work to enable it to continue Heart of England Community Foundation, Worcestershire Community Foundation, Birmingham City Council, B & M, Severn Trent Water, Groundwork UK, The Montal Trust, Elliott Nash Ltd and all the individual donations from those wanting to support our work; and then of course there is all the other help we have had; Howdens for the discounts on kitchen units (long story – suffice it to say we now have a new kitchen – well nearly), Phoenix Carpets for their quick response to our need for new kitchen flooring, Kennedy’s for all the cardboard boxes; the volunteers that have delivered, collected, taken phone calls, shopped, the staff team who have worked tirelessly to ensure that no one goes hungry in our communities.
We are so blessed by each and every one of you. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We thank you on behalf of the thousands of people we have helped. The children who had Easter Eggs, the elderly who have eeked out the supplies before asking for help, the parents who would have gone hungry in order to feed their children, the individuals who have underlying medical conditions that prevented them from going out, for those who found themselves suddenly unemployed, for those furloughed, the grandchildren who have asked for help for their grandparents, the friends who have seen their friends in trouble the list goes on………………….
‘Just finished putting our food parcel away. You cannot believe how truly great full we are to have received this today. We cannot thank you enough.’
‘can I say thank you such for the food parcel you sent my family today.thank you all so much’
We know that things are beginning to change again slowly, for many this will bring relief, but for others further and more severe hardship. So with that in mind we want to ask you, our community, to continue to support us in whichever way you can, whether donating food, items or money. Many people will have ongoing struggles and we will be there to support them, thanks to you, but we also will need ongoing support as the world changes again and achieves a ‘new normal’.
So one more time THANK YOU