What We Do
Practical help, given quickly, to families who need it.
Helping families
We help families with children in a variety of ways. Perhaps by helping a single parent whose children have become homeless, providing an emergency pack of basic household goods — sheets, blankets, utensils, plastic tableware, cleaning products — to get them through their first week adjusting to their situation.
Or a mother escaping domestic violence who needs baby-care products: nappies, wipes, personal hygiene products.
We also assist with second-hand furniture for families on very low incomes who qualify and who, for example, cannot afford to buy a bed for their child. These are just a few examples of the ways we help.
Food banks
Our food bank scheme supports over 600 families every week. We collect donations from local food companies and supermarkets, sort them at our warehouse, and distribute them through our own food bank in Bridlington and through community centres across the region.
Food bank users pay a small amount towards their food — considerably less than the shop value. It is a deliberate choice. As we told The Guardian, working families often find it hardest to come and ask for help; a token payment makes it feel less like charity and more like a fair exchange.
Three in four food bank users here work. The New York Times, January 2014
Responding to the 2007 floods
One of the most recognised ways we have helped people in our area was following the devastating floods of 2007 in Hull and the East Riding. This was when Real Aid was recognised by many people as a local charity helping local people when it was really needed, and reacting immediately to the crisis.
We helped thousands of people during that time and carried on with our assistance for over a year after the floods subsided. We supplied emergency packs, cleaning equipment, cleaning products, carpets, fridges and all manner of household goods to anyone affected. Many people became supporters of Real Aid following our work during those times, and are still donating to us today.
Our volunteers make it possible
None of this work would be possible without our team of volunteers, who work in our shops and at our headquarters.
All of the donations the public generously give to our shops are brought to our HQ, where our volunteers carry out many different tasks — preparing clothes, shoes, accessories, household items, furniture, collectables, books and toys to go back out to the shops for sale to our customers.
Similarly, we have volunteers who work in our food warehouse, collecting donated goods and preparing food trays for the food banks. This can include sorting and loading vans. Those food trays are then distributed where they are needed.
So, we're always pretty busy!