THE IT team at ABP Southampton delivered gift bags and shoeboxes full of Christmas cheer to the Society of St James to make a real difference to people facing homelessness at Christmas.
ABP Southampton’s nominated charity of the year, the Society of St James, aimed to give as many people as possible the chance to have a positive experience at Christmas with its Give a Dinner Christmas appeal.
The charity asked for £10 donations to buy 350 Christmas dinners and gifts that its staff could hand out on Christmas Day.
For people who are homeless and struggling with lots of difficulties in their lives, Christmas can be a time of great distress and sadness.
The Society of St James wanted to give people who use their services the chance to experience a happy Christmas and feel the same warmth and friendship that many other people enjoy during the festive season.
Paul Baker, who manages the Southampton Street Hostel, said: “We invite people back who moved on successfully into their own independent accommodation but who would still be by themselves in Christmas Day – last year we had almost 40 people!”
ABP Southampton has taken on a series of challenges to raise funds for the cause this year including an overnight sleep-out, the New Forest Triathlon and some members of staff ran in the ABP Southampton Half Marathon for the charity.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here