I have been planning to blog about giving to the project for a few days and this morning to my complete surprise there was an anonymous donation of 10 sleeping bags. Which is very timely indeed!
There are numerous offers each week from people who want to give to the JRP. These can be summarised as
1. Direct financial payment to JRP
2. Indirect payment (purchase of items that are required such as a microwave or sleeping bags)
3. Time volunteering at events, key working, providing lifts, helping with cleaning/painting
4. Donating household items / clothing
5. Wisdom (People who have skills/knowledge/contacts that contribute to lives on the project)
All of the above are significant for the project and I will break it down into five different blogs with details about how each one works.
Obviously in the church / community that we are involved in, giving happens that is beyond the 'official' project routes I have described above. I immediately think of individuals who have put up curtains in flats or paid for events and these are fantastic demonstrations of care.
The one guideline that we have always encouraged is for people not to give cash directly to people, whether that is at the Feast or at church or even elsewhere. When asked by someone begging on a train or in the street, we have encouraged people to buy food or a hot drink rather than hand over cash. The other answer if you want to support homeless people is to give to a charity that is making a difference in people's lives and getting people off the street and into homes.
I will also add a further blog which explains in further detail what the project gives out to people in need and how this happens.
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