CAPTION: Some winter night shelters are not opening this year because of Covid restrictions
Finding room at the inn this Christmas
Away in a manger, no crib for a bed…. the search for a suitable bed for the night is central to the Christmas story and a good reminder of all those in Devon today who are homeless, vulnerable or dispossessed.
Across the county, churches and their communities have been working to help the vulnerable in our midst:
In Newton Abbot, churches donated items to go into Christmas hampers for the Homeless In Teignbridge Support (HITS) project.
Hilary Howell, the lay chair of Newton Abbot Deanery, organised the collection and said “101 hampers were collected in total by the HITS food bank.
Some of the food hampers donated in Newton Abbot
“This is a total way beyond my dreams…. I thought we would be lucky if we made 50.
£1,125 was raised in total which ALL went in to buying food and drink and goodies.
“The money bought over 60 Christmas puddings, 50 Christmas cakes, 35 tins of salmon, 35 gammon joints, 15 panettones, 30 jars of condiments and jam, 50 packets of chocolate biscuits, 36 tins of canned fruit, 50 assorted packets of crisps, 40 cans of fruit drinks, 40 packs of custard, 50 packs of mince pies and lots of crackers.
“Each hamper also contained a hand-made Christmas card.
“The end result has been overwhelming and surpassed all expectations and it is as a result of some very generous support from family, friends and church community.”
In Plymouth, St Matt’s church’s new Love Your Neighbour project has enabled huge amounts of food distribution and social contact this year, including 80,000 meals in the project’s first 3 months alone!”
The church is also hoping to give Christmas gifts and food hampers to over 300 women and children living in refuges or undergoing rehabilitation.
On Thursday 17 December they will be sorting and wrapping gifts. Please sign up here if you can volunteer to help or could continue supporting the project after Christmas.
Tina Bayliss, the project manager, said “It’s not just about the food. It’s about sharing the love of Christ with our communities.”
Chris Keppie is the Diocese of Exeter’s Church and Society Officer
The faith-based Plymouth Soup Run operates every day of the year. Current requests are sleeping bags, deodorants, mobile phones (cheap new or good quality used pay-as-you-go) and top-up phone cards.
For people living rough, being able to stay connected to support agencies and friends, as well as online services is more important than ever. Phone cards (or cash to pay for them) can be donated via the Plymouth charity, Shekinah Mission, or by contacting Plymouth Soup Run’s coordinator email
In Torbay, the ecumenical Torbay Winter Night Shelter (TOWNS) has made the very difficult decision not to open its normal night shelters this year following public health advice.
However, they are working closely with the local authority who have been able to continuing providing extra hotel accommodation.
St Mary Mags church in Torquay and St Andrew’s in Paignton have both been regularly providing hot food and day centre space.
TOWNS says opportunities to give and to volunteer are likely to continue until at least March 2021.
Pop-up Giving Hub
Exeter Homeless Partnership has a pop-up Giving Hub in Roman Walk, Princesshay, every Thursday, Friday and Saturday during December. Donations of clothes and sleeping bags can be made there.
The hub also has a new 24/7 ‘alternate giving’ donation point, which will help fund the city’s network of free food providers, many of them Christian – see times and map here.
Contactless donations
North Devon has a new “Tap for North Devon” scheme. There are donation points in shop windows which enable people to make quick donations by contactless card. The aim of the scheme is “providing real change to help end homelessness.”
Money donated will help fund a number of charities, including Barnstaple’s church-based Freedom Community Alliance.
Chris Keppie, the Diocese of Exeter Church and Society Officer, said “These are just a flavour of some local church projects and collaborations working across the diocese – there are countless more. Having previously worked in council and charity homelessness services, I know how life-changing and even life-saving church-based actions can be; it’s wonderful to see.”
“Please see the diocese webpage for wider resources on homelessness, including the brilliant Streetlink app. Please also email if you have any questions on this issue, or would like to share requests or new initiatives.”
