There are many charities that need help, but this post will focus on some of the specific needs of our local charities at Christmas time.
Here are a few suggestions for how you and/or your little ones can help others this Christmas, but please get in touch with any other ideas you have, or add them to the Norwich Mumbler Chat Group thread and we’ll add them on.
Norwich Foodbank
Norwich foodbank supports local individuals and families through the provision of emergency food supplies. These supplies take the form of nutritionally balanced emergency food boxes to cover an individual or family’s basic needs for 3 days.
How you can help: We want to make sure that no one in our local community has to go hungry, but we need your help to make this happen. Your gift of financial support, time, business partnership and food can make a real difference.
DONATE MONEY: Big or small, every gift you give helps transform lives.
VOLUNTEER: Volunteers are the life blood of foodbanks. Your skills could be just what we need.
DONATE FOOD: Our foodbank relies on your goodwill and support.
As well as money donations, you can also donate your time by volunteering or food. For all locations and times that Food donations can be made, please click HERE.
Our Christmas donation campaign
If you donate to our Christmas campaign you can make someone’s Christmas brighter.
Our Social Supermarket supports over 5,000 people in Norwich who can’t afford enough food. The store, on Hall Road in the city, provides free fruit, vegetables, bread and hygiene products plus all the other basics at low prices – tinned items, milk, cheese, cereal, chilled and frozen food and more.
We want our members to have a great Christmas too and some of the treats which lots of us take for granted.
Your donation will help us to provide:
A full Christmas dinner for some of our members, served in the community café we have next door to our supermarket.
Presents for children – we will have our own Santa’s Grotto in the community café.
Click HERE if you want to make someone’s Christmas
Leeway
Leeway is a charity which provides advice, support and information to any adult or child experiencing domestic abuse in Norfolk and Suffolk. Here are the ways in which they would like your support this Christmas:
Raise Money as You Shop
There are a few sites where you can raise money for Leeway as you shop at no extra cost to you! Leeway receive a percentage of your total spend from the retailer and many of the platforms have several well-known high street and online brands signed up.
EasyFundraising is one of the sites that Leeway are signed up to and it is really simple to get started and raise money for them.
Simply follow the link to their Easy Fundraising page and click “support this cause” – you will then be prompted to sign up, which is totally free.
Once signed up, you can raise money for Leeway whilst you shop at places like eBay, Argos, M&S and much more!
With EasyFundraising, Leeway receives a percentage of what you spend directly from the retailer – meaning it comes at no extra cost to you!
Buy a Book for a Child in Care
The annual Christmas Giving Tree Appeal at the Waterstones branch in Castle Street is back for 2023.
Annually, the tree is decorated with dozens of tags, each representing a child and the book they would like to receive at Christmas. Customers wishing to support the appeal can buy the books which will be wrapped and sent to the children time for Christmas.
How you can help: Visit the children’s department in Waterstones store on Castle Street in Norwich, pick a tag from the tree and buy the book named on the tag.
The deadline for this is 3rd December 2023.
Alive Charity Appeal at Chantry Place
Local charity Alive UK, which aims to provide emergency support for people in crisis in Norfolk, has launched a gift and treats appeal to give local children and parents a gift this Christmas.
All gifts will be given to families in desperate need in Norfolk and all donations of new gifts are welcome for all ages, including babies, toys for children, presents for teenagers, or those that care for them.
People can donate unwrapped gifts, toys or chocolate treats, such as selection boxes, at a collection point on the lower ground floor of Chantry Place, opposite Boots, from now until Sunday 17th December 2023.
Norwich Open Christmas
Norwich Open Christmas is a yearly event which takes place on 25 December to give people who are alone, homeless, or in need a Christmas celebration
How you can help: Norwich Open Christmas provide food parcels to every guest, and they need your donations to be able to do this. Please visit https://www.
Applications to volunteer for Norwich Open Christmas 2023 closed on 31 October. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer next year, keep an eye on our social media pages for the latest updates. , please visit https://www.
Dawn’s New Horizon
The People’s Picnic
Every Tuesday at 7:30pm we serve wholesome home-cooked meals and other food to the homeless & hungry of Norwich.
How you can help: “We are asking for those able to buy a small gift to do so through our Amazon wishlist or to donate through PayPal and we’ll buy something for someone who needs.”
Fill a sock (or two) and help the homeless – toothbrushes, roll-on deodrant, sweets/chocolates, comb, gloves, babywipes, boxers, knickers and socks. Please do not include money or any items which contain alcohol.
Drop off points: BrewDog Norwich, Parlour Made in Beccles, Rainer Hair Couture in Gorleston, Vicki Humphrey at 66 Springfield road Gorleston, Bugs Play Cafe & gelato and sorbetto in Bungay
Re Engage Community Christmas
A window to supportin lonely older people.
Please support this year’s Advent of Change Christmas campaign
Since its launch in 2018, the social enterprise Advent of Change has raised over three quarters of a million pounds for charities, including Re-engage.
The concept was the idea of Kristina Salceanu, who set up Advent of Change from her kitchen table alongside a full-time job. She designed and created a beautiful advent calendar and donates money from the sale of each one to a range of good causes; behind each calendar window is a message shining a light on a charity supported by the initiative.
How you can help: Shop now using this link
Norwich Basket Brigade
A Norwich charity delivering Christmas kindness; annually providing food hampers to those having a tough time in Norfolk. Volunteer, donate or nominate!
How you can help: To be part of this year’s Basket Brigade UK please sign up and register here. We are also taking donations – just £15 feeds a family of 4! Please give generously. Use the ‘Donate’ button alongside. Thank you! Join Norwich Basket Brigade volunteers to make and deliver all food baskets on 23rd December.
Norwich Soup Movement
DIY non-profit organisation. On-street soup kitchen and support for homeless/hungry/rough sleepers.
How you can help: You can purchase an item from their Amazon wishlist, or make a monetary donation.
On Saturday 2nd December, The Norwich Soup Movement is hosting a Christmas Makers Market at St Marys Works, open 4-9pm & Sunday 3rd December NR3 Indoor Boot Fair 11.30-3.30pm at The Shoe Factory Social Club NR3 3AF
Friend in Deed
Friend in Deed is a Norfolk based charity that creates friendship across generations through various intergenerational schemes. It aims to reduce loneliness and promote kindness.
How you can help: Children and families can help to support older people in care homes, including those living with dementia in many ways. Between 27th November – 18th December 2023 babies and children of all ages are invited to visit care homes across Norfolk to play games, make friends and reduce loneliness. Visit the Facebook page for schedule.
They are always on the look out for children and babies to get involved with intergenerational visits. To find out more about volunteering your family’s time and get involved, visit:https://www.friendindeed.org.
GMOTFW
Get Me Out The Four Walls offers peer support and informal social meets for parents and carers living in Norfolk and Suffolk to overcome social isolation. These meets are organised by a team of volunteers and ambassadors.
“We rely solely on receiving funding and donations to continue the work that we do. To donate to the charity, please contact: admin@getmeout.org.uk”
Finnbar’s Force
Volunteer
We’re always looking for volunteers to help us run the charity and make our fundraising activities successful. If you have some spare time and would like to get involved, or if you’d like to help at our fundraising events, please email volunteering@
Raise Money
We rely on donations to fund our work – many supporters choose to raise money by undertaking sponsored activities, such as sporting events or skydives! If you would like to raise money for us by taking part in a sponsored event, you can set up a page on our fundraising site at:
www.totalgiving.co.uk/
Show your support:
Finnbar’s Christmas Lights 2022 are in Park Green, Hethersett. Keep checking their Facebook page for updates.
BabyBank Reverse Advent Calendar
Collecting quality preloved items for 0-18m and redistributing them to those in need in Norfolk.
Re:Think
How can you get involved?
You can support us in a Variety of ways.
Donate – Your time or your money. Whether its personally or part of an organisation or corporate business. Funding is crucial to the work we do.
Drivers – Be a volunteer driver and help collect surplus food or pack and distribute food parcels.
Fundraise – host a bake sale, a sponsored walk, anything to help raise much needed funds.
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