How to Donate without Donating.

Times are hard, we all know this. Brexit, Covid 19, food prices increasing, utility bills increasing.  It’s safe to say that we are all feeling the pinch. Unfortunately, it is the poorer people in our community who are hit harder by these costs, these are the people who need our help the most and we are seeing the numbers of people requiring assistance from Focus4Hope increasing week on week. It is no longer just people who are unable to work who are suffering, people who offer vital services in our community, and yet don’t earn high salaries such as nurses and police officers are also now feeling the pinch.

According to the Child Poverty Action Group, in 2021-21 There were 3.9 million children living in poverty in the UK that’s 27 per cent of children, or eight in a classroom of 30 and it is estimated that these rates are on a rapid increase in 2022.

At Focus4Hope, we believe that there is no shame in people coming forward to ask for our help, but we know that people do feel this, which is why we have a wonderful team of volunteers who personally deliver our food parcels to the people in the community which we support. It also means that people who are struggling get to see a friendly face and we often discover other ways in which we can help.

The simple fact of all this, is that we can’t continue to support people in need, through food poverty without your support, and yet we know that during these times, everyone is feeling the pinch. Which brings us nicely to the confusing title of this blog, ‘How to Donate without Donating.’ Now that might seem like an oxymoron, but bear with us here, because, with the support of three organisations, you can actually donate without spending any additional money.

How? Well let us tell you.

1. Do you use Amazon? Don’t we all? If you log into smile.amazon.co.uk/charity/select/search. Enter Focus4Hope as your chosen charity. Whenever you then shop with Amazon, you will be directed to the smile.amazon link for your shop and 0.5% of your purchase price will be donated to Focus4hope. OH, and remember to update your bookmarks! This also works if you have the Amazon App, search for Gifting and Charities then find Amazon Smile, and add your preferred charity as (hopefully) Focus4Hope.
2. Shop at the Coop. The Coop have selected us as one of their charities of the year. You need to either become a member, or, log into your Coop membership account, select Focus4Hope as your preferred charity and then for every GBP1.00 spent, 1p is donated to their main charity fund and 1p to Focus4Hope. This also applies to their other Coop services such an pensions.
3. Buy a lottery ticket! Would you like the chance to win GBP25,000? With the Union Lotto, you have the chance to win this every week, and with much better odds than the main lottery! Click on this link to register (https://www.unionlotto.org/support/focus4hope) and for every ticket purchased, 30p is donated to Focus4Hope.

You get to shop as normal, yet still generate money for Focus4Hope, without actually having to donate your hard earned money, that’s what we call a win win!

Thank you.