Charity plea for the homeless prompts donations
A Plymouth charity says it is has been overwhelmed with the public’s generosity following a plea for unwanted sleeping bags and blankets for the homeless.
Plymouth Soup Run last month made a desperate appeal for donations before winter arrives, after supplies ran out.
After hearing of their plight, Cornish energy firm Total Energy Solutions immediately donated three brand new sleeping bags to help kick-start donations.
Since then, Plymouth Soup Run has received more than 40 sleeping bags and 35 blankets. They will now be handed out to those on the streets to help keep them warm this winter.
Plymouth Soup Run is made up of a range of charitable organisations that collect donations of food, drink and warm clothing, prepare them and then take them out to the homeless on each night of the week.
Hilary Knight, spokeswoman for Plymouth Soup Run, said: “The response to the appeal has been overwhelming. The phone has been ringing and emails have been arriving daily. People have been really keen to help.
“Donations have been from local people, many of them elderly. Blankets were even delivered by bicycle one night. Another man dropped a sleeping bag off at the weekend and stayed with us to help with the washing up!
“It is good to know that with the colder weather approaching we now have a store of blankets and sleeping bags. Hopefully more will be donated and we will not run out as we did a few weeks ago.”
Total Energy Solutions, which specialises in helping businesses cut their energy bills, donated three brand new sleeping bags after hearing about the short supply.
Kathryn Carnegie, finance director of Total Energy Solutions, said: “It is amazing how our choice to donate three sleeping bags to the charity has snowballed.
“It just shows the generosity of our community and we hope that people and local businesses will continue to make a different to the lives of local people."
Do you have any unwanted blankets or sleeping bags to donate? Please contact the Plymouth Soup Run on info@plymouthsouprun.org.uk or log on to www.plymouthsouprun.org.uk