Giving Back for Christmas

This Christmas, more than any before, we all deserve to have a restful and fun time with our friends and families. This year has been a whirlwind of emotions and difficult for a lot of people. Here at Balfour Winery, we want to help support vulnerable people and families and ensure they have a good Christmas too. Here are three charities we have chosen to support.

The Community Storehouse is Paddock Wood’s food bank, connecting those who are able to give with those who are in need. Over the Christmas period, The Community Storehouse will be giving out Christmas themed bags full of mince pies, sweets, cheese and biscuits, cranberry sauce, and Christmas puddings. This month, our team are collecting donations to be included in these Christmas themed bags.

“We all know what it’s like to be anxious, but perhaps we don’t know what it’s like to feel worried about where the next meal is coming from to feed ourselves or our children.”

If you are local to Paddock Wood and would like to support, you can get involved by dropping off donations here:

• Waitrose, Paddock Wood
• St Andrew’s Church, Paddock Wood
• St Justus’ Church, Paddock Wood
• Churches in East Peckham
• Horsmonden Social Club
• St Alban’s Church Frant
• All Saints Church, Tudeley

“In the UK, more than 14 million people are living in poverty – including 4.5 million children.”

Alternatively, if you are located in other parts of England, The Trussell Trust support a nationwide network of food banks and you can find your nearest donation point here.

The Hygiene Bank is a grassroots charity and social movement set up to give people access to the basics they need, including shampoo and conditioner, toothbrushes and toothpaste, nappies, deodorant, and a variety of other items.

Here are some statistics from The Hygiene Bank:

• One-third of people living in the UK and over half of 18 to 24-year-olds have had to go without hygiene or grooming essentials or cut down on them due to lack of funds
• 8 in 10 primary school teachers say that they’ve seen a rise in the numbers of children coming to school unwashed or not looking presentable in the last five years and have found themselves intervening at an increasing rate. Nearly half of all teachers said they had seen bullying because of hygiene issues
• 3 out of 10 teachers regularly buy their pupils toiletry essentials

On top of the food bank donations, our team at Balfour Winery are collecting donations to support our local Hygiene Bank in Cranbrook and Tenterden. The Hygiene Bank run nationwide, and you can find your nearest donation point here.

Demelza is a charity that provides clinical care, therapies, specialised activities, practical support, and so much more, across Kent, South East London and East Sussex. As our chosen charity, we support Demelza regularly.

Demelza is running their #FestiveWishes Christmas Appeal, which helps pay for the expert care that children will need over the holidays and beyond.

• £49 could pay for a full hour of dedicated nursing care for a child at Demelza over the holiday
• £21 will help fund a Family Support team session, helping parents get through to Christmas
• £32 will help them buy a toy appropriate for a child to be delivered to their home by a special Demelza Elf

If you would like to support, make a special Christmas donation today.

Donate here