Posted: 15/12/09
Students helping homeless with bumper hamper giving
A huge helping of kindness was given to Mansfield-based charity, The Hall Homeless Support Project today, from students at West Nottinghamshire College.
Presentations of hampers containing toiletries, clothing and food was presented today to the charity project together with the college’s student safeguarding co-ordinator, Geoff Vincent, who is also a youth support worker with the Halls Homeless Support Project.
The first group to present their hamper was the foundation studies group who are based at the Derby Road campus. They were asked by the college’s Volunteer Task Force, set up by the Inspire and Achieve Foundation, to make Christmas special for the Hall Homeless Support Project.
Inspire and Achieve Foundation co-ordinator, Lauren Leverton said: “It’s a real pleasure to see young people making a difference in the community. This is exactly what the Volunteer Task Force is all about and we wanted to help those who are homeless with a donation of warm clothing and toiletries. The Task Force is already planning the next charitable event for 2010.”
Students from the public services course have been busy over the last few weeks gathering food supplies. Derron Slater from the Halls Homeless Support Project was overwhelmed by the students’ kindness. He said: “We have had over 500 young people using the service this year and donations like these are incredibly helpful and we are very grateful to the staff and students of West Nottinghamshire College.”
The college’s procurement team passed on a donation of cash to the project after turning the college’s old contract mobile phones into cash. Angie Pilgrim and Gary Checklin from the procurement team passed on a cheque for £225 to Derron Slater and the other £225 has been given to the Inspire and Achieve Foundation.
The last presentation was made by level 2 business administration students based at the college’s Chesterfield Road campus who have been collecting money over the last month to help purchase items for their hamper.
Tutor Josie Emmott said: “It really is amazing just how much effort our students have put in. They haven’t shirked from their task of saving up their loose change over the last few weeks and we’ve been able to buy lots of items for the hamper and are looking forward to presenting this to the charity this week.
“The task of helping others has been both heart-warming for them as well as a learning curve as they’ve just recently undertaken their citizenship module on their course.”
