Companies link up for Birmingham charity appeal.
LoveBrum’s ‘Bags for Brummies’ campaign returned last month, collecting supplies for those sleeping on the streets in the winter months. As the nights get colder, longer, and harsher, Birmingham’s homeless population is hit the hardest. However, after a successful pilot last year, which saw hundreds of people given essential supplies, LoveBrum’s campaign has come back bigger and better than ever.
As the news broke that an estimated one in 73 people in Birmingham are homeless, the city rallied to help supply Bags for Brummies. The wish list includes an array of essentials such as warm clothing, toiletries, sleeping bags and blankets, as well as a small gift, such as a supermarket voucher or a book to make someone smile this Christmas.
Since the campaign started, LoveBrum has seen thousands of donations from across the city. Brummies and businesses have come together in force, with a tremendous amount of support offered to Bags for Brummies, including sponsorship from M6toll and Gymshark.
Zellig, Solihull Fire Station and Sweetmeat Inc. have also offered their support by becoming donation stations throughout the campaign, while Mobile People.Powered.Logistics has provided hours of on-the-ground support, collecting and transporting the donations.
LoveBrum’s Executive Director, Paul Mitchell, comments: “I am delighted with the amount of support we have had this year for our Bags for Brummies campaign. It’s great to see not only residents of the city, but also businesses both big and small getting involved and donating what they can. The response has been huge, and we couldn’t be happier with all the donations we have been given. The winter months are extremely tough for those living on the streets and we hope that these bags can help alleviate that struggle, even slightly, for people in that situation.”
Wednesday 12 December will see a team of volunteers at Millennium Point sorting through all the donations and packing these into the bags which have been sponsored by M6toll.
Maxine Estevez of M6toll added: “We were honoured to be asked to support this worthy campaign, as part of our year-long partnership with LoveBrum. Some of our team will be volunteering to help pack the Bags for Brummies and we hope they bring real comfort to those in need at Christmas.”
The bags will be handed out at homeless charity Let’s Feed Brum’s Christmas dinner hosted at St. Phillips Cathedral on 22 nd December. Birmingham-based company Gymshark was keen to help the cause make a difference this Christmas and has generously covered the cost of the dinner, which is set to include all the trimmings and plenty of festive joy. Last year the Christmas dinner saw 270 people enjoy the event and receive their gifts from LoveBrum. This year the Cathedral is expecting over 300 guests to join the festive cheer.
ENDS