College donations to help the homeless

Students and staff at New City College Havering Sixth Form rallied round to collect and hand over sackfuls of donations for a local charity that helps homeless people.

Students on the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Enrichment programme, along with DofE Manager Kyle Balcombe, (pictured below), helped load crates and bags of items that had been donated into the van of the Friends of Essex & London Homeless (FOELH) charity.

Donations such as warm clothing, coats, new socks, water bottles and toiletries were collected, as well as equipment including sleeping bags, tents and roll mats, which were donated by the Duke of Edinburgh Enrichment group.

The college’s catering company, Aramark, also donated bottles of drinks and food that the charity will use for cooking meals which will then be distributed to those living on the streets.

Steve Stuart and his partner Cheryl who run the FOELH charity collected the donations and thanked the volunteers – Ellie, Anastasia, Daphne, Rosie, Octavian and Kyle.

They spoke about the charity and how they are driven by a single goal – to do their part in making the world a better place for all. Along with a small group of volunteers, the couple travel to London every Wednesday night to provide food, sleeping bags, a smile and a listening ear to homeless people.

Steve, pictured below, told the students: “Kindness is contagious and just a small act of kindness can make a huge difference to a homeless person’s day. You all should be proud of yourselves. You are the ones taking this forward and this is what real education is all about – you can understand it, feel it and then reach out to help other people in this world.”

Kyle, a Creative Arts Technician at the sixth form, said: “We hope this small contribution to the work of the charity will help those who are most in need, especially during these winter months. It was humbling to hear from Steve about the work of the charity and to realise that it is the small things in life that often cost nothing that can make the world of difference to a person’s well-being.”

He added: “The charity was overwhelmed with the generosity of our staff and students and I want to say a massive thank you to everyone who donated.”

For more information on the work of the charity, go to: foelh.com