Newham charity Bonny Downs Community Association (BDCA) today launched its Winter Toy Appeal to support Newham children living in poverty during the Christmas holidays.
Newham already has one of the highest rates of child poverty in the country at 52%, while new research from the University of Loughborough reveals that Newham has the highest number of children living in poverty of any London borough. BDCA says that even more families will be struggling this Christmas due to the pandemic and it reports that many of its service users are facing increased hardship, lost jobs, reduced income or no recourse to public funds.
Thanks to the backing of online giving platform Localgiving, donations to the appeal will be doubled at no extra cost to supporters. For example, a gift of £10 will be doubled to £20 and a donation of £50 will be doubled to £100. Match funding is available for two weeks only, from 10am Tuesday 27 October to 12 noon Monday 9 November, while funds last.
The charity will use donations to buy carefully chosen, age-appropriate gifts for children aged 0 to 17 living in poverty. Each family is referred by one of its project teams or Newham partner organisations. The gifts will be personally delivered by BDCA’s friendly volunteers during December to families’ homes or at its foodbank.
Stacey Cordery, Children and Families Project Co-ordinator at Bonny Downs Community Association, says: “The Christmas holidays should be a time of joy. Instead, for too many families in Newham, it’s a time of worry and difficult choices between putting food on the table or buying gifts for their children. This year is looking especially challenging because of the pandemic.
“But with your help, we can ease some of the pressure for parents and bring a smile to children’s faces with an unexpected gift after a difficult year. And, thanks to the support from the Localgiving Coronavirus Fund, your donation will be doubled and have twice the impact this December!”
Visit localgiving.org/appeal/winterappeal to learn more and donate.
