2020 has been a year like no other with COVID-19 disrupting lives and businesses across the globe. Never has charity fundraising been so important – or so difficult.
Great Bear Kettering had to think outside of the box in order to generate much needed funds for their 2 chosen charities of the year – The Trussell Trust and Cransley Hospice Trust.
The Trussell Trust aims to end hunger and poverty in the UK. By supporting a nationwide network of foodbanks, the charity provides not only emergency food but much needed support services to people locked in poverty whilst campaigning for change to end the need for food banks in the UK.The Cransley Hospice Trust provides care for patients with life-limiting illnesses who need the specialist help of hospice care in North Northamptonshire. Their services are provided free of charge for the local community, offering care and support wherever needed, be that in the patient’s own home, a care home or within a hospice.
Large scale fundraising challenges have had to be postponed or cancelled due to ongoing concerns over the spread of COVID-19 along with ensuring we do everything we can to keep our colleagues and their families safe. Smaller scale activities have however proved ever popular, with ‘dress down days’, raffles and the all-important “The Great Great Bear Bake Off” raising a staggering £1,621 to date.
Supporting charities isn’t all about fundraising. Whilst it’s undeniable that charities rely on fundraising initiatives to support their work, sometimes we can look a little closer to home and towards our own areas of expertise to help. Earlier in the year, the Trussell Trust approached the team at Great Bear to help them procure much needed storage space – as experts in the ambient storage world, we were on hand to offer a suitable solution that provided an element of free storage for the charity along with a heavily discounted rate for the future. Some of the monies raised to date from fundraising initiatives have then been used to pay for the additional rental costs for the storage space, allowing the charity to concentrate on their core activities.
You can read more about the charities and the impact of your fundraising by visiting their websites:
www.cransleyhospice.org.uk
www.trusselltrust.org
If you have a fundraising idea for these charities or would like to get involved with future events, please contact Kate Collins (kate.collins@greatbear.co.uk) or Carole Elliot (carole.elliot@greatbear.co.uk)