Sleeping bags and toiletries needed for Havant’s homeless

Residents are being asked to dig deep into the backs of their cupboards and donate any unwanted goods to help the homeless.

Help for Havant Homeless is a non-profit organisation currently collecting donations to help support the homeless in the Havant borough council area.

To help with the donations, Southern Co-op’s funeral branch in Leigh Park has set up a collection point which colleagues hope to keep open throughout the winter and into 2021.

Help for Havant Homeless is looking for donations which will help the homeless through the cold months such as sleeping bags, toiletries and torches.

Charlene Price, a community volunteer, said: “So far the public have been fantastic. We’ve had lots of donations and are needing help in keeping the donations coming in, especially items such as tinned food and petrol as it involves a lot of driving around. It’s been a real team effort with founders Lisa and Jason Martin and Rio on social media.

“We have local business people helping and the kindness and generosity of people have been amazing such as Heidis in Emsworth which donates food it is unable to keep for the next day.

“If anyone is aware of a homeless person in the Havant Borough Council area it would be great for us to be notified, then we can go out and have a chat with them to see if we can help in any way, even if it’s just to hand out food to them. We will soon be working alongside Two Saints which supports people who are homeless, vulnerable or at risk of becoming homeless.”

Help for Havant Homeless delivers a hot meal three times a week plus anything else they need, such as a tent.

Petrol can be donated via Tesco gift cards and goods donations can be made Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm at The Co-operative Funeralcare – Leigh Park, at 224 Dunsbury Way.

Rachel Cast, Funeral Co-ordinator at the branch which is part of Southern Co-op – the regional co-operative, said: “I wanted to get involved to help out in our local community and actually to make a difference to someone who needs it.

“The donations will be really positive and hopefully help the people who need it most.”

Specific requests for Help for Havant Homeless are currently put on its Facebook page at www.facebook.com/Help-for-Havant-Homeless-115572733622637/ or questions can be emailed to helpforthehomeless@outlook.com.