2nd December, 2020

Our charity has this week launched the ‘Worthing Cares’ fundraising campaign, which will raise money to help deliver Christmas hampers to our service users spending the holidays alone.

Specifically, money raised will be used to purchase and fill hampers for those that use our Help Stay at Home service or attended our Friendship Club for over 70s before it closed due to Covid-19 restrictions.

The hampers will be delivered, along with much-needed socially distanced doorstep chats, by a team of over 70 volunteers, who have already rallied around the cause. Mark Philips, our Volunteer Coordinator, said: “The response from our volunteers has been quite humbling and really reflects the caring and compassion they all have.”

Julie Moon, who attended the Friendship Club and will be receiving a hamper, said: “Without Guild Care, Christmas Day for me this year would be just like any other day, nothing really to look forward to and no one to speak to – just the television for company.

“I know it’s silly but now I know that on Christmas day this year Guild Care has arranged for someone to visit me to drop off a little gift – well it’s just given me hope. It’s a beacon of light in what has been a really dark time.”

Support has already been gratefully received from businesses in the Worthing community. Local company ETI has kindly donated thermometers and money to the cause, which will pay for 60 hampers on Christmas Day, and Worthing’s branch of Waitrose has donated and provided a selection of goodies to stock the hampers.

If you would like to help support Worthing Cares by donating, please visit the campaign’s JustGiving page: www.justgiving.com/campaign/worthingcares2020/. If you have any other queries, please email [email protected].