Communities Beyond Covid Appeal
The lifting of some restrictions surrounding Covid-19 are welcome, but for many of the people that we support at Start Up Stirling, their circumstances have not improved, due to furlough ending, unemployment rising, food and fuel costs increasing and the reduction in Universal Credit. We are therefore launching our Communities Beyond Covid Appeal and asking for your help.
"The last year has been terrible with the pandemic, but with the kindness from the staff and volunteers from Start Up Stirling it was much better.
When they delivered food, they also showed hope in a pretty hopeless time.
It was good for my kids to see that in a terrible time, there were people willing to help other people.
It would have been harder without Start Up Stirling"
The level of referrals for our Crisis Food Support service remains above our pre-pandemic levels, and currently we are supporting over 400 people per week, a third of whom are children. With the difficult financial circumstances that many families face this autumn, it has led to a sharp increase in referrals for crisis food support. In turn this has placed an unprecedented strain on stock levels. For the first time ever, we are having to buy staple foods like baked beans, in order to keep up with demand, rather than being able to rely solely on donations.
We are therefore asking you to join our Communities Beyond Covid Appeal and, together, we can replenish our stock of essential food and continue to provide families in crisis throughout the Stirling Council area with nutritious food when they need it most.
Legends Coffee House, run by the Stirling District Tourism, are supporting the appeal with the sale of their Braveheart bears, which are unique to them and can only be purchased from their shop. £1 from every bear and 50p from every Braveheart bear pencil topper sold will be donated to Start Up Stirling’s Communities Beyond Covid Appeal. In addition, they are also donating 50p for every lovely scone that is purchased at the Coffee House between the 4th and the 17th of October.
The climax of the appeal, on Sunday 17th October, will be supported by Stirling Council and Historic Environment Scotland as The Wallace Monument and Stirling Castle turn Start Up Stirling purple. The date also marks the United Nations International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, which highlights the effort and struggle of people living in poverty.
There are a number of ways that you can support Start Up Stirling’s “Communities Beyond Covid” Appeal:
By donating food at one of our Donation Stations, situated throughout the Stirling Council area. We have an autumn shopping list of items in the news section of our website that we especially need right now, so please remember us when you are doing your weekly shop.https://startupstirling.org.uk/news/2021/autumn-shopping-list
By donating funds via our website to provide tinned, dried or fresh food and fuel to keep our delivery vans on the road. There is also a tap to donate machine for donations located in the King’s Mall at The Thistle’s Shopping Centre. https://startupstirling.org.uk/donate
By fundraising for us; you could organise a bake sale, a sponsored silence with your work colleagues or raffle and donate the funds raised to Start Up Stirling. Please let us know what you are doing, so that we can give your fundraising efforts a shout-out on social media!
By becoming a corporate partner; your business can help by making a financial gift, purchasing items we need or donating gifts in kind.
By telling your friends on Facebook (startup.stirling) and Twitter (@stirlingstartup)about the “Communities Beyond Covid” Appeal, and follow us on social media.
If you would like to know more about how you can help with the “Communities Beyond Covid” Appeal, we would love to hear from you. Please contact us by telephone on 01785 561027 or via e-mail at [email protected].
