Help the homeless this winter

Winter is such a crucial time to support local homeless and vulnerable people. Not only because of how vulnerable people are during the cold weather but also due to isolation and loneliness. Many of the people we support have strained family relationships. While we are excited to gather with loved ones for Christmas, many of our clients may not have that to look forward to. This means that Christmas can be very lonely.  

 

 

Genesis Life Projects Christmas Provisions 

Over the holiday period Genesis Life Projects was open to provide a warm welcome to any who needed warmth, food, company and 1:1 help.  

Despite not being in our Gateway Centre, we were still able to offer a Christmas dinner for our clients. On Thursday 19 December at St John the Evangelist Church in the city centre, where we usually offer our weekly Life Connect lunch, we had a delicious Christmas dinner with all the trimmings. The home-cooked meal also provided a safe and compassionate place to feel appreciated and enjoy social activity. 

A huge thank you to the wonderful volunteers from St John’s Church who cooked and served the meal. And it’s not just this one meal they provide. These dedicated volunteers provide an amazing, cooked lunch every Thursday through our Life Connect project. 

There were also festive treats for everyone donated as part of a generous donation of care package items from Kingswood School. The icing on the cake were delightful hand-made Christmas cards given to each of our guests. The cards had lovely drawings, kind words of encouragement and even some funny Christmas jokes that everyone really enjoyed. Each one was unique and brought smiles all around the tables. The cards were created by local school children through the #ChristmasCompassion project organised by Connect Bath and 3SG. 

The next day we had the opportunity to give our guests a Christmas gift. With a warming bowl of soup provided by volunteers from Widcombe Baptist Church and many mince pies we could feel the Christmas spirit at Genesis on the Canal. 

Warm Kits for cold winters 

Thanks to the generosity of our community, we can provide winter warm kits to people who are struggling with fuel poverty this winter. Many of our clients live on boats, or in temporary housing situations and struggle to afford heating. Some are homeless. Where we see a need, we give out items such as warm clothing and other items to help them stay warm each winter. We are so grateful for all the donations of warm and waterproof clothing and care package items from our local community. 

These are provided to the most vulnerable through Genesis Life Projects or to families and individuals facing food crisis through Bath Foodbank. The items we provide can include hot water bottles, blankets, thermos flasks, winter hats and gloves, thermal underwear and much more.  

Look out for further updates about Bath Foodbank in our next newsletter. 

Please help keep people warm this winter: 

Give Today 

You can help support someone facing fuel poverty by purchasing some winter warm kit via our Give Today site. Here we have our most needed items listed for you. Everything you purchase is delivered directly to our office.   

 

Christmas Appeal 

Please donate to our Christmas Appeal, which supports homeless and vulnerable adults in our community through Genesis Life Projects. For more information, please visit our webpage. The appeal is open until Sunday 12th January.