The Moorlands Community Charity is appealing for support from the public after seeing an unprecedented rise in their costs, which is leaving the charity with an uncertain future.
The charity which is based in Old Goole, provides unique and essential amenities to local residents such as Youth Services and Meals on Wheels, and is open 52 weeks per year. Many of the people who access support from the organisation are from Old Goole, Goole, and the surrounding Marshland villages where there is a high proportion of rural isolation, however, there is no restriction on people who live outside these areas from using their services, especially their Meals on Wheels service which delivers as far as Gilberdyke, Howden and Snaith.
The charity offers support to people of a wide range of ages and backgrounds, be they children, young people, families or older people, as well as migrant workers and refugees. As the cost of living crisis has hit in recent months, the charity has been put under increasing strain, with more people turning to them for help, and their own bills continuing to rise. The number of people requesting help from the organisation has risen by 43 per cent over the last six months, whilst the organisation, due to the greater difficulty of securing funding, has found it harder to offer its current support to all those who look to them.
The chairman of the board of trustees, John Scarrow, said: “This crisis, affecting the whole of the UK, and in particular areas of deprivation like Old Goole will negatively and substantially affect the financial security and quality of life of the vast majority of the population in our community. “The services this charity offer and delivers are vital to our community, but all this comes at a cost, and whilst we have received generous grants from the likes of The National Lottery and Two Ridings Community Foundation, plus self-generated income we now face the very difficult situation. “The uncontrollable rise in all costs, especially in utility bills; the cost of food and goods; along with the price of fuel, will jeopardise the future of the charity in these uncertain times, with consequential impact upon those who look to us for support that we have successfully offered over many years to the residents of Goole.”
The Moorlands Community Charity has set up a donations page and are appealing to members of the public and grant funders, along with small and large companies to give whatever they can to help the charity stay afloat. Donations can be made at: http://easydonate.org/JZHB03, or for a donation of £10 just text JZHB03 to 70191. The charity is not just looking for financial donations, but everyday items that individuals and companies may absorb into their orders, for example tin foil, washing liquid, tea towels etc. An Amazon Wish List has also been set up for the Charity and anyone can go to this page and order an item/s which will help reduce costs. The Amazon link is: https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/XP7KESR428KQ/ref=nav_wishlist_lists_
The charity’s CEO, Jacky Crawford, said: “Our charity has been the cornerstone for this community for 26 years and countless individuals and families have benefited from emergency support, or longer-term advocacy and assistance to support their health and well-being, training and employment prospects, and alleviating poverty, isolation and loneliness. “We now find ourselves needing backing to keep this well-respected charity delivering services. We know many charities are struggling financially with costs for their facilities and service delivery. “Even during the best of times, most small charities don’t have the luxury of extensive reserves to fall back on. With the backdrop of Covid-19 the situation is now even more precarious. “Costs are rising at a time when donations from the public and other sources are falling, meaning some charities may have no choice but to close.”
Jacky added: “If you are thinking of donating to a charity rather than sending Christmas cards or buying presents please think about donating locally to support your charity.”
The Moorlands Community Charity supports a huge range of activities such as the recent school holiday programme for local children. (08-12-164 SU)
