General Chat

This morning i had a lovely lady call at the centre with a large box of toys for the children, my faith in human kindness has been restored. Shirley Ann.

Hi Shirley I can understand why you are so concerned for the families you work with I have had some involvement with a family centre and Homestart and some of the cases that we have dealt with have been tragic. Add homelessness to the equation and it makes it even more difficult to cope with Do hope more people will have read this and decide to donate goods to a local charity, to me it is more rewarding than just writing out a cheque Dee xx

Isn't it a lovely feeling when you make just that little bit of a difference to peoples lives, something you have had in a drawer and not used, can make someone who has nothing so happy. Wendy, we get no help from local busineses, the only people who have ever given to us are a very small church in a village out side our town,they bring us the proceeds from their harvest festival, which is a lot of food, i divide it amongst my residents, its lovely, it stocks their cupboards for a week, i also keep a kitchen unit full incase i get someone arriving with out anything, as it takes a while to get their money sorted out. this little church always drop a few things in at xmas, which is donated by the parishoners, there can't be no more than about 10 of them, but they are so kind. And this lady that dropped those toys of this morning really took me by surprise as it has never happened before. I provide all the toys at the centre, and i am for ever having to replace them as they get broke or go missing when people leave, i go to car boot sales and buy things for them. its i nice feeling when you see the kids laughing and playing, as they witness so much sadness in their little lives. I do go on a bit when i get on this subject, i am sorry. Shirley Ann.

I just want to thank three lovely ladies who mailed me, and made some lovely kind offers of help for the homeless centre. they truely are kind and genorous people. So thanks again to Zoe , Maisie and Val. Shirley Ann.

A few years ago now ... but ... I knew of a building that would be 'vacant' over Christmas and well into the new year. Running water and toilets. Surfice to say there were a few less people sleeping in doorways that Christmas !!! I DON'T feel guilty ... the rent on the building had been paid until the end of January. I really did feel good that Christmas. Never had the opportunity to do it again since or I WOULD ! Elaine :-)

Elaine, how did you manage it, Well done you anyway. there is a whole row of perfectly good houses standing empty in my home town, which were purchased off the owners, so they can pull them down to make way for a bypass, they have been empty 12 months or more, they might just as well have let the homeless live in them until the bypass was started. they won't though, because then the council will have to find them somewhere to move to when they are eventually pulled down. dreadfull isnt it. Shirley Ann.

I have bought loads of new xmas decorations for our Homeless Centre, when i told the chap on the market stall What they were for, he let me have them all for £5, They should have cost me £12. He said you never know i might need people like you one day, i sincerely hope he he don't, but like he said you never know where life will take you. Shirley Ann.

Another one of my rare postings on the gen board but this got me thinking..... My children are currently 3 and almost 2. Both their birthdays fall within a month of Christmas (son 3 weeks before, little girl in Feb). Underneath little girl's bed is a stack of unused toys. Things that they received for birthdays and Christmas last year but we were so inundated we thought we'd stash them away until they were bored with what they were playing with and get the other stuff out then. Its never happened and its all still under there and in a few weeks time, we'll start all over again, with his birthday, Xmas and then her birthday. So I shall sort it all out over the coming weekend and it can all be donated to a family/families who would appreciate it for Christmas. Everything is still in its original packing and wrapping untouched. Our children (certainly mine) have no idea how incredibly lucky they are and having never seen any of this stuff that is under there, they wont miss it. Lou

Thats a lovely idea Lou, try asking your local council if they have a homeless family unit in your area, or a womens refuge, they would always be more han glad to receive them. Its amazing what new stuff we have tucked away isn't it. Shirley Ann.

I just wanted to thank Maisie for getting back to me about gifts for the children at The Homeless Centre. You are one lovely lady. thank you for remembering. Shirley Ann.

Well done Em C. Please let me know how you get on. Shirley Ann.

I was just wondering how many of you folk have a Homeless centre in your area.? i think they are very few about. Shirley Ann.

Lynda i agree, where do these people go after Christmas, Our centre is run by just myself and my friend, we were there to open the place over 13yrs ago, only one of us on duty at a time, we have enough room for just 5 families at one time, but at least we get them back on their feet and they are rehoused from our centre. Shirley Ann.

Bringing this to front page again as its even nearer to christmas now I am going to make up some boxes to take to the YMCA that my daughter works at. This thread made me think. We do have enough and son has requested no gifts this year so they don't have to buy us anything either. What do we really need? So the money I would have spent is going on getting a little something each time I go shopping. Some basic essentials and a few small treats that they couldn't get for themselves. I will enclose a card. Any suggestions for suitable words, I thought something like --Thinking of you from a friend? So Happy Christmas to you all and I hope I can help to make even one peson feel that somebody is thinking of them. Kind Regards to you all Linda

This is a lovely idea Shirley Ann. Thanks for mentioning it. Daisy

NUdging to remind others ....

I really can't thank you all enough for all you are doing , every single thing that people do will make Christmas just that little bit better for someone. Bless you all. There is one lovely lady on these boards who i would like to thank with all my heart. thats Maisie, this lovely lady has been shopping for items for the children at my centre, not only that but she has been knitting for them also. what a heart that lady has. she has never met me, and she lives no where near me , but she mailed me when this thread was first on the board, and she kept her word. Maisie you are an angel. Shirley Ann.

nudged again

Nudged again to remind everyone.

another nudge