Packs of Joy helping vulnerable families

We wanted to share some exciting news with you, our supporters! We are thrilled to be watching the John Lewis Partnership Christmas Advert, why? you ask! Because the amazing partners at JLP are supporting Home-Start and Fairshare as their chosen charities for the next year - wow! We are blown away by their support and it starts TODAY with the advert being released. Kindness is at the heart of our support for families. Tune in and start to feel the festive spirit creeping in. Best wishes, Catherine and all the Team at HSAWA.

Dear Home-Start Supporter, I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for your unwavering support this year with your donation to our Packs of Joy. It has been a year like no other, for our supported families, their children, our charity and for you our supporters. We've all faced upheaval whether it was being denied access to family and celebrations, travels halted, illness or financial hardship. It has been tough. Your support to our charity means the world to us as it enables us to continue to support those families who need us most, when they needed us most. The lockdown and subsequent disruptions to school and work have been tough on those already facing multiple challenges in their lives. Families have told us they have "felt cared about" as we have kept up our one to one contact with them. And.... here we are again, lockdown 2020 part two in West Sussex. This month we would usually be out and about raising funds and connecting with others to spread the word of our work and anticipating a rise in referrals. How different this is, as I sit at my PC once again unable to see you face to face. This year, to keep our staff, families and volunteers safe, we are scaling down our Christmas activities for families. BUT, do not despair because we have a plan! We are raising funds now for each family and every child to receive a Christmas Pack of Joy with a toy, book and food hamper next month and a ticket to a Virtual PANTO! Oh yes we are! These parcels will be safely delivered to the family's doorstep by our volunteers with a smile and a wave! If you'd like to give a little to this campaign please go to our website to donate, https://cafdonate.cafonline.org/10492#!/DonationDetails or email me if you want to talk about it first. I can give you more information and it would be nice to talk to you! Thank you for all your support. With warm wishes, Catherine

Our final special Packs of Joy reached our supported families last month! New rucksacks filled with back to school/ nursery goodies packed inside and receiving them made our little people and their parents very happy! Thank you for the final time from all of us at Home-Start for making this year better and easier for our supported families. Without your generosity they wouldn't have received the support they have received; emotionally, practically and individually. Thank you for being awesome and donating to Home-Start Arun, Worthing and Adur. We wish you a super and safe autumn season. With best wishes from Catherine and The Team at HSAWA.

Hello Home-Start Supporter! We hope that your summer is going well. Our families have been emerging from lockdown, starting to go to parks, the beach and seeing their Home-Start volunteer at a safe distance, sometimes in the garden. It really is wonderful to see the children again, and how they have grown! Our carefully delivered Packs of Joy - each of the 151 families have received 3 packs now - are being well utilized by parents and children. We have seen and heard of lots of fabulous drawing, playing, crafting, reading and outdoor games going on thanks to your donations at the start of the summer, thank you. One mum told us: "Thank you so so so much for the picnic kit. That was very generous. I shared some of the things with our neighbour who doesn't have much....the picnic blanket is great although boys have already smushed food into it! Thank you so much". You have made a difference to family lives during this strnage summer, thank you. We are now preparing for the final Pack of Joy to go out early in September. It will be a rucksack for every child with all they need for a safe return, or start, at nursery, pre-school, school or the childminder's. We are so thrilled to be able to help every child we support thanks to your generosity. With all good wishes from Catherine and the Team at HSAWA.

"Hi J, thank you so much for the lovely parcels you dropped off to us today. We were struggling with C1 and she was over the moon. She said she'd asked for these things in her dreams. It was lovely to see her so happy. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We are stuck in because of dad's asthma. It is hard to get hold of anything we really appreciate your help." Not our words but a happy Home-Start supported mum having received her Pack of Joy, that YOU made happen. Well done YOU! Thank you from all of us too. Our volunteer drivers had fun too, taking the bags of toys and essentials to our families. "A massive thank you for the goodies and for always creating the time to check on us." "Thank you so much for the pack, can't even tell you how much I appreciate it." Our next Packs of Joy are being sourced right now! With many best wishes Catherine and the Home-Start AWA Team.

Thank you for your support to local vulnerable families with your pledge for the 'Packs of Joy' campaign. We are thrilled to have hit the target. We have not one, not two but THREE Packs of Joy going to every family and items for every child currently being supported by Home-Start Arun, Worthing and Adur. The first pack to be delivered will be for an At Home Sports Day - with age appropriate items to play with, tee shirts, finish line banners, sun-cream and a water bottle! All you could need for your own family sports day! photos will follow. Every packs will have a book and a little treat for mum/ dad too. Thanks again and we look forward to sharing the feedback from our families with you. Best wishes, Catherine and all the Team at Home-Start AWA.

What an amazing way to start this week and this new month! With all your support we have secured the pledges needed to hit our target of £11,256 for 'Packs of Joy'. In fact, we have exceed it by £78. We are now collecting the pledges by direct debit and will be preparing the 3 different Packs of Joy to be delivered by our generous volunteer drivers out to every single one of our supported families, over the next 6 weeks. And just as importantly, our 1-2-1 support to families can continue all the way through the summer with the weekly calls now secure with these funds. Thank you. You are amazing and you have made a difference to the lives of vulnerable families during this horrid and frightening pandemic. You will never know or meet these people but you have played your part in making their lives better at this challenging time. Thank you. Best wishes from Catherine and all the Team at Home-Start AWA, please smile all week knowing YOU have helped others.