The Charities That Need Your Help This Christmas

The Samaritans

Last Christmas Day, the Samaritans responded to over 10,000 calls from people looking for help or just someone to talk to. Now, in a year like no other, many people will be feeling even more isolated this Christmas due to social distancing. They may have even lost a loved one to coronavirus or feel anxious about the economic crisis. For these people, the Samaritans are one of the only helplines open when many other services are closed. As part of its Christmas appeal, Samaritans are making it easier than ever to set up a financial donation online, with a clear guide to where your money goes – even as little as £5. 

Visit Samaritans.org

Shelter

This year, Christmas might feel a bit different to usual. But most of us can still look forward to a cosy festive break spent celebrating as best we can, in secure homes where we can feel safe and warm. For thousands of people struggling with homelessness, that simply won’t be the case. Many of them have already endured the coronavirus pandemic without a safe place to live. And now, Christmas will be spent in cramped bed and breakfasts, sleeping in cars, or in temporary accommodation. A donation to support Shelter’s essential work could be a much-needed lifeline, especially when you think about the fact that last year, they answered close to 2,000 calls over Christmas from people desperately seeking housing advice.

Visit England.Shelter.org.uk

Age UK

Life is challenging for everyone right now, but for many older people things are particularly difficult. Age UK makes it their mission to lend their support to this group of people, with expert information, advice and friendship. While it’s always possible to make a financial donation online, you can also contact your local branch of Age UK to see what its volunteer needs are. Failing that, you can also find information on their website regarding easy and affordable ways to help support elderly people in your community.

Visit AgeUK.org.uk

Mind

This year we are dealing with a mental health crisis on an unprecedented scale. For many, 2020 has been a year of anxiety and uncertainty. For a single donation of £20 this Christmas, you could run help run Mind’s online peer support community Side by Side for an hour, helping people connect with others and feel less alone. For £50, you could help the charity campaign for better mental health services from the government, while £100 will help them pay the cost of one of their Infoline or Legal Line advisors for a whole day.  

Visit Mind.org.uk

Macmillan

Amid the pandemic, people living with cancer may be facing a very uncertain Christmas this year. But they can have Macmillan by their side thanks to the generous donations made at this time, and throughout the year. You can make a one-off or set up a regular donation online or pay in the amount from a collection you may be able to do in your local community. 

Visit Macmillan.org.uk

Marie Curie

Marie Curie supports anyone in the UK who is dying or caring for a loved one at the end of life. The charity also offers emotional support for people who are struggling with grief or a bereavement, and this Christmas, people will need its life-changing services more than ever. Throughout the last year, Marie Curie nurses have been on the frontline in the fight against coronavirus, caring for people in their homes and in hospices. For that reason, consider giving what you can so they can continue supporting people going through the toughest of times. 

Visit MarieCurie.org.uk

The Salvation Army

Thousands of people will turn to The Salvation Army for help this winter – especially those who are facing poverty because they might have lost their jobs, are struggling to feed their children, or older people in the community who have never felt as lonely as they do now. This year, the charity (which has a presence across more than 650 different communities) will be providing ‘meals on wheels’ Christmas lunches and companionship to older people living alone. It will also be giving Christmas food parcels to families who are struggling to afford a proper Christmas lunch, distributing toys to children whose parents are unable to buy presents and battling to protect thousands of rough sleepers with nowhere to go. You can donate to its online Christmas appeal from as little as £19.

Visit SalvationArmy.co.uk

The Trussell Trust

The UK’s hunger crisis has been in sharp relief this year as a result of the pandemic and widespread unemployment, so what better time to consider making a donation to The Trussell Trust, which works to support a nationwide network of food banks to provide for people locked in poverty. More broadly, it also campaigns for change to end the need for food banks in the UK altogether. As well as donating food to one of the banks, you can also support the trust’s work with a single or recurring financial donation. Alternatively, with food bank usage set to skyrocket this winter, consider helping out as a volunteer at your local bank sorting through donations and handing them out to visitors. 

Visit TrussellTrust.org

ActionAid

The Covid-19 crisis has been life-changing for all of us. But for too many, it has exposed a hidden pandemic: of escalating violence against women. As such, this Christmas, millions of women and girls around the world are fighting for their freedom and even their lives. In Uganda alone, the number of women turning to ActionAid’s domestic violence shelters has increased by 150%. Donating just £7 a month could help keep the doors of a shelter open, while £3 a month will help provide food for a woman who has recently escaped an abusive situation for a fortnight. 

Visit ActionAid.org.uk

Crisis

Crisis has launched its annual Christmas appeal, asking volunteers to donate as many ‘Crisis Gifts’ as they can. Starting at £28.22, you can buy a spot in sheltered accommodation for a homeless person, as well as essential food and supplies and even year-long support. Beyond that, you can also set up a regular payment to support the charity’s ongoing work throughout the year. 

Visit Crisis.org.uk

Rainbow Trust

Time spent as a family is always precious, even more so at Christmas, and particularly when a child is seriously ill or has a life-threatening condition. The Rainbow Trust pairs each family with an expert family support worker who enables them to make the most of time together, giving them practical and emotional support whenever they need it, for as long as is needed. This Christmas you can donate online – either as a one off or by setting up a regular payment – to ensure this vital service continues to support families up and down the country. 

Visit RainbowTrust.org.uk

The Toy Appeal

Having run every year since 2013, to date, The Toy Appeal has managed to make Christmas Day special for thousands of children across the north west of England. Social workers, schools, women’s refuges, food banks and drop-in centres can all refer a child or family to The Toy Appeal to ensure that they have presents to open on Christmas morning. The Toy Appeal then steps in to help Father Christmas do this for thousands of children every year. Toy sacks will be given to children, regardless of race, religion and gender, as long as they are referred via a social worker, a school, a food bank or a women’s refuge.

Visit TheToyAppeal.com

Greenhouse Sports

Greenhouse Sports is London-based charity mentoring young lives through sport. Working in partnership with schools in deprived areas, full-time sports coaches are on hand to deliver extra-curricular, inspirational coaching and mentoring programmes. In addition, the Greenhouse Centre is a community sports centre in Marylebone, which is free to access for local residents and children of the Church Street Ward, which is in the top 10% of most deprived wards in the entire UK. During the first lockdown, The Greenhouse Centre was transformed into a foodbank to serve this community, with the charity’s coaches volunteering to serve an average of 100 meals a day to local families. This Christmas, the charity is organising festive hampers for hundreds of local families, which will be made up of Christmas foods and treats, as well as essential food supplies that the charity receives through donation. Welcoming any support to provide more than 550 hampers, you can donate via its website.

Visit GreenhouseSports.org

Coram

This Christmas, there are 2.2m children and young people living in vulnerable families. A gift of £25 or whatever you can afford could give a child or young person the love and opportunity they need to thrive in life – whether it be through educational opportunities; advocacy and legal support; or a safe and loving adoptive or foster family. Last year Coram helped over 138,000 children, young people and their families access vital services and unlock a world of love and opportunity. A £25 donation could help us support a child learning to read, while £50 could help provide advocacy and legal support to a child leaving care. 

Visit Coram.org.uk