COMMUNITY NEWSLETTER JANUARY 2025

COMMUNITY SERVICE NEWS – JANUARY 2025

HAPPY NEW YEAR to you all and a very big and sincere “THANK YOU” for all your help and support over the past year, but especially the massive effort on the part of so many to make Christmas special for those less fortunate than ourselves.  In the last 4 years we have nearly doubled those that we help to make Christmas a bit special. This year we gave out 613 sacks and in doing so helped 731 adults and 2019 children who would have had nothing or very little otherwise. One mother said “We can’t believe that people can be so kind.  We were dreading Christmas after a year of living on very little money, so the Christmas sack has meant the world to us”.  She was just one of many who were preparing to have nothing for Christmas. With your help we not only gave them presents but also vouchers from Tesco in order that they could go and buy food in addition to the donated biscuits and chocolates included in each sack.

We are so grateful to everyone who donates money and items all year round, but especially at Christmas time.  We rely heavily on all your goodwill to enable us to support those suffering hardship in our community.  Hopefully it enables us to bring a little joy into their world.  We wouldn’t be able to do this without your support.

Once again the “elves” were very grateful to a local farmer who gave us the use of his barn for 6 weeks in which to make up the Christmas sacks.  Unfortunately, we know this facility will not be available in the future.

With Christmas over we are now once again focusing our attention on the everyday needs of those in our community who still need help, whether through poverty, illness or fleeing from domestic abuse.

FOODBANK

We are still attending the Foodbank in Chichester once a week with clothing, shoes, bedding, towels, etc. and have seen the need increase significantly during the last few years.

We will once again be collecting Easter Eggs to distribute among families in need.  Please contact Therese to arrange pick up or drop off at the collection point at Tesco, Chichester.

IF FAMILIES CAN’T AFFORD FOOD, THEY CAN’T AFFORD CLOTHING

LAPTOPS TABLETS and MOBILE PHONES

If you have any of these items that you no longer need, we will take them, clean them of all personal data and set them up ready for use by families, students and refugees.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

June 2025 (date to be confirmed) A Flower Demonstration

Saturday 22 November 2025 - Christmas Fair and Coffee Morning with delicious cakes as well as stalls selling lovely gifts, craft items, books, jewellery, tombola and much more.

Follow us on our Facebook page or website:

https://www.facebook.com/RotaryClubChichesterHarbour/

https://www.rotary-ribi.org/clubs/homepage.php?ClubID=18300

WAYS TO SUPPORT US

Online Shopping: 

We are registered with Give As You Live https://donate.giveasyoulive.com/ and

EasyFundraising https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/ Both are a free way to raise money for charity when you shop online. There are over 6000 participating stores.

Donations of gifts can be collected by Therese Brook.  Contact: 07732 397201

Financial donations can be made via our CAF Donate page.

Visit our CAF Donate page: https://www.cafdonate.cafonline.org/14733           OR

Cheques can be made payable to Rotary Club of Chichester Harbour and sent to:

The Treasurer, Rotary Club of Chichester Harbour,

Mrs H. Knight, 11 Dalloway Road, Arundel, West Sussex BN18 9HJ.

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Gift Aid Declaration

To enable us to claim back the tax already paid on your donation and to add 25p to every £1 you donate, please tick, sign and date below and provide us with your name and address.

Name ……………………………………………………………………………………………….. (please print)

Address ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Postcode ………………………………………………………………………………………..………………………

 I confirm that I am a UK Income or Capital Gains taxpayer.  I have read this statement and want the charity to reclaim 25p of tax on every £1 that I have given on this date, in the past 4 years and in the future.  I understand that if I pay less Income Tax or Capital Gains tax in the current year than the amount of Gift Aid claimed on all my donations, it is my responsibility to pay the difference.

Signature ………………………………………………………………………     Date ………………………

A small sample of the feedback we’ve received from professionals and recipients about this year’s Christmas sacks.

From a Social Worker:

“Last year was such a hard one for all of us, so even more so for the families we work with especially at Christmas.  We appreciate all you do, not just at Christmas but all year round every day of the week.  I had very positive feed-back from my families, they were so pleased and even mentioned being given wrapping paper to wrap the gifts given to their children.  It is a massive job to organise. - Thank you.”

From Recipients:

“I was trying not to think of Christmas for my three children because of the cost.  I really felt I was letting my children down.  Then my support worker said she would see if the Rotary Club of Chichester Harbour could help.  They provided everything to make a perfect Christmas: gifts, games and Tesco vouchers which I used to buy Christmas dinner.  It is a Christmas we will not forget, happy memories for my children.”

“I had a little cry when I received the sack.  It meant so much that someone else was thinking of us, there was even a wrapped gift for me.  It is years since I had a wrapped gift.”

“Thank you to R.C. Chichester Harbour, we were so grateful to have the Christmas sack and it’s a huge relief not to have to worry about Christmas dinner.”

“The sack made our Christmas. We can’t thank the Rotary Club enough.  Life is very hard for us at the moment.”

Thank YOU once again for your support, without which we would not be able to make the difference to people’s lives that we do.