The Gingerbread Centre provides supported accommodation for vulnerable and homeless families from Stoke on Trent and the surrounding area. They recently won a £50 donation in our 50 for 50 competition! We spoke to Michaela from The Gingerbread Centre to hear how the donation will make a difference and to find out a little more about their cause and the work they do.
Tell us a little about your cause and what you do.
The Gingerbread Centre provides supported accommodation for vulnerable and homeless families from Stoke on Trent and the surrounding area. We can provide supported housing for up to 33 families.
Each family who comes to live at Gingerbread has their own self-contained flat, their own key worker, 24-hour support and a support plan tailored to suit their needs.
When families are ready and they move on from Gingerbread, we support them with finding their new home and continue to support them whilst they get settled.
What you are currently fundraising for?
We are currently fundraising to plug a gap in our funding from Stoke on Trent Council. We have a shortfall of £35,000 this year that we need to raise, so we can maintain our family support team and the level of support we provide to families in need at The Gingerbread Centre.
Has the cost of living crisis affected your fundraising in the past year?
Covid had a huge bearing on our Fundraising and increased our need for funds at the same time. The cost of living crisis is making Fundraising harder, donations smaller and the need for housing and essential items even greater.
What has surprised us is how people who are struggling themselves have still tried to help us. If they haven’t been able to donate money, they have donated other items we find useful, or have donated their time and volunteered for us.
easyfundraising donations have increased since the cost of living crisis started. This is because people can’t put their hand in their pocket to help, so they are using easyfundraising when they buy essentials online and more people are shopping online to discourage impulse buying.
What’s your top tip for new users using easyfundraising?
The best advice I can give to new users of easyfundraising is as follows:
- Yes, it really is free.
- Yes, it is that easy.
- Yes, it makes a HUGE difference to charities who receive the donations. Small donations add up to big donations.
- Download the app, it makes things even easier.
- Get your friends and family using it, because it makes a MASSIVE difference to the charities who receive the donations.
Thank you to Michaela for sharing their story and the amazing work they do. You can sign up to support Gingerbread here.