500 give a ****

Inspired by 500 Reasons (Brighton), 500 Acts of Kindness (north west) and 500 together(Sheffield), a few of us got together to set up our own version of this very beautiful thing.  You find 500 people to give a pound a week to help others who are in a tough place because life has chucked everything at them.  Of course these would have to be 500 top notch people...the kind who give enough of a **** and know that most of us are but a hop, skip and a jump away from that same place.

You can visit our website to find out more about that www.500give.co.uk 

BUT BUT BUT BUT BUT!  Right now Covid 19 is tearing the heart out of the community and public services that supports our most vulnerable people and it is pushing more people to the edge every day.   That would be our friends...and yours. 

Life is already messy and it just got worse.  

We can’t wait for  a group bank account to be set up (so you can't pay in your £1 a week yet)...so to kick this off we’ve set up a go fund me page so that if you can, you might start giving a **** immediately, without a moment’s hesitation just because that’s the kind of person you are.  Decent.  So if you are still making a living through all this craziness, please be generous because we all know there are a shed load of people out there who aren’t. 

This is being organised by a small team of 7 volunteers  and the idea is that once we have some dosh we will give out funds each week to someone who has been nominated.  If you donate you get to nominate...that's how it works.  Eventually, to be part of the 500 group, we'd ask you to set up a standing order for a quid each week but for now we're asking you to give what you can right here.

You can nominate anyone who you think really needs a touch of kindness...to know that people do give a ****...and the only rule is no religious or political bias.  We'll likely prioritise the most urgent need...and we're expecting lots of that!

Some of us are already part of the 500 acts of kindness group and here are some examples of the difference it has made.

‘Our member Vic nominated a much loved family on her street in London who have suffered an unimaginable loss. Kelly, a single mum, died very suddenly and mysteriously this week just gone, leaving her children aged 19, 7 and 3.  The family didn’t have enough money for the funeral and so her sister set up a go fund me page which has helped raise enough, but Vic feels very aware of how hard it is going to be going forward for the family and hopes that a donation from us might help maintain some sort of stability in the weeks ahead. I know you’ll want to join us in sending our love and heartfelt sympathy to the whole family.’

‘This week’s recipient is living with health problems and has been receiving Disability Living Allowance. She recently went through the horrific PIP assessment process (again it rears its head in this group: many of our nominees have been plunged into poverty because of it) and was denied payment. She has had to hand back her lifeline car and her blue badge and has to now survive on £22 a week until her appeal goes through, which will take 8 months. H is a single mum to an eleven year old boy who has some significant emotional problems due to past trauma.  ' With your blessing I would like to up this week’s donation to £700. It is unbelievable that in one of the richest countries in the world we are punishing our most vulnerable citizens in this way. ’

 
‘Lisa’s house burned down a few days ago. Along with losing personal possessions she's devastated by the loss of her dog who sadly died in the fire. Lisa, her husband Darren and her children Lewis and Hailey are left with just a few clothes. The house was from the Housing Association and they will have to wait to be rehoused. They had no insurance and their two children are having to stay with their gran for the time being. We send all our love to Lisa and her family along with our £500 gift. Hoping for better times in the near future.’

 
This week it seemed right to donate to help the people whose lives, homes and businesses have been devastated by the floods in Yorkshire, and in particular Calderdale. Calderdale resident and 500 Acts member Rachel wrote to us about a brilliant organisation, Calderdale Lighthouse, “a small charity that support the most vulnerable in the valley that were themselves flooded out along with all their supplies for vulnerable families, asylum seekers etc. The Calderdale Community Fund will allocate some of the flood relief to local charities based on need” but it will take a while for the money to filter down, and the need for their services is, of course, greater than ever as things stand.

Visit our website to see more examples of how this makes such a difference - www.500give.co.uk 

But for now...please give a **** and join us by donating now.