Supporting up to 54 individuals daily, 30 of which are aged only 16-25 and accessing the charity’s Community Floating Support service, Simon Community’s Portadown team have organised a series of activities and events to help members of the public to #StartTheConvo this Homelessness Awareness Week and Christmas.
Speaking about the opportunity to raise the charity’s profile in the local area, James Dunbar, Senior Practitioner, and organiser of the week’s activities, commented:
Every year the staff and clients in the Portadown area are overwhelmed by the support we receive in the lead up to Christmas from local businesses, groups, churches, schools and individuals. This year, we want to increase opportunities for people to meet our team, start a conversation about homelessness and find out how local generosity makes a massive difference to the lives of people experiencing homelessness.
In recent days, the Portadown team have benefited from local support including a £300 donation from Portadown Credit Union that will go towards the creation of our Welcome Packs, donation of cheese from BallyLisk of Armagh who have been donating over the last couple of months to the charity’s Portadown projects, anonymous donations in cash and as part of the High Street Voucher Scheme that were used to buy food from local butchers Charlie Mallon’s. In addition, Karri Kitchen have been providing meals, soups, and overnight oats to our Portadown projects from September with plans in 2022 to volunteer with clients to teach healthy food on a budget.
How to get involved with our Portadown team this December:
The team will be available to meet with members of the public at the below events, while alternative options have been arranged to facilitate support and donations in the lead up to Christmas:
| Event | Location | Date & Time | Information |
| Millennium Court Christmas Market | Millennium Court, William Street Portadown | 4 Dec, 10am – 4 pm | Come along to our Homelessness Awareness stand to meet some of the team working locally in the Portadown area Members of the public can also drop Food & Toiletries donations off at Millennium Court from 1-17 December for the attention of Simon Community. |
| Portadown Credit Union | High Street, Portadown | 7-21 Dec | The team at Portadown Credit Union are accepting Food & Toiletries donations. |
| Big Sleep Out & Big Breakfast for Simon | St John the Baptist College, Portadown | 16 & 17 Dec | Pupils & Staff will be undertaking a sleep out to fundraise for Simon Community. |
| Street Collection | Portadown | 17 Dec | Staff from St John the Baptist College will brave the cold to carry out a street collection in support of Simon Community. Come along and make a small donation and say hello to our local supporters. |
| Community Engagement | Tesco Portadown, Meadows Centre | 17 & 18 Dec | Pop along for a chat with our team and find out what’s happening locally, learn more about our recruitment opportunities and find out how you can support our charity. |
| Community Engagement | ASDA, Portadown | 20 Dec | Pop along for a chat with our team and find out what’s happening locally, learn more about our recruitment opportunities and find out how you can support our charity. |
To find out other ways to support Simon at Christmas and in our 50th year, click here.