How to help children in poverty this Christmas
From buying presents to funding local lifelines, here are six ways you can support children in poverty during the festive period
While many of us are scrambling to buy last minute Christmas presents and Boxing Day snacks, some 4.45 million children in the UK are living in poverty. That’s 31 per cent of all children – and families are facing impossible choices.
As we light the fire and cook the turkey, over 5 million families are cutting back on or skipping meals because they do not have enough money for food, while over 2.5 million families are not able to keep their home warm because they can’t afford it.
Christmas is a time of giving. So for our final Saturday read before Christmas, and as part of The Lead’s ongoing campaign to end child poverty, we’re highlighting some of the ways you can support children in poverty over the festive season.
Offer families concrete relief from poverty this Christmas
Turn2Us offers grants to families in need – these consist of money, products or services that don’t need to be paid back. Christmas is unaffordable for most families, let alone those already struggling to pay for essentials. As part of its Warm Homes, Full Plates, Bright Futures appeal, Turn2Us is asking for donations of between £3 and £150 to help offer grants to families — to heat their homes, stock their cupboards and bring festive cheer to children who might otherwise go without.
Address the systemic causes of poverty
Child Poverty Action Group works to address the structural causes of child poverty. This winter, it is asking for monthly and one-off donations to help defend the lifelines children and families can’t afford to lose. Donating to CPAG’s winter appeal can help frontline advisers support families and protect children and help CPAG stand up to unfair welfare policies and fight for a system that protects every child.
Be a Secret Santa for a child in need
In the grand scheme of things, there are only a few opportunities to make Christmas feel magical for children. Action For Children is making sure children in poverty don’t miss out on festive joy by bringing them gifts and festive foods. They have already had donations from 37,884 Secret Santas this year, but with the number of children in poverty in the millions, there’s still a long way to go.
Localised support
Give a child a present in the North West
Greater-Manchester based charity The Toy Appeal gives out 80,000 toys and gifts per year, according to its website. Recipients of the gifts are referred to the charity by social workers, schools, women’s refuges, food banks and drop-in centres. A donation of £25 will fund one toy sack, which contains eight items, including a stocking filler, a main present, a board game and more. You can donate here.
The Toy Appeal is completely run by volunteers. If you can’t afford to donate financially, you can help volunteer with the charity here.
Donate to support Southport families this winter
Compassion Acts is a Southport-based charity that offers immediate relief to families while also working to address systemic causes of poverty. You can donate to support their Winter Warmer campaign. They will use funding to reinforce and resource their debt and benefit advice team, who are seeing an increased caseload over winter, give out Christmas dinner vouchers and vouchers for warm winter clothing and offer Winter Warmer Packages, which include options like a slow cooker, winter duvet, thermos flask and electric blanket. They will also be giving out festive treats, such as selection boxes, at their food banks.
Give a gift in Teesside
The Teesside Charity is also providing local children with Christmas gifts this year. Donations will be used to purchase gifts on your behalf. Referrals are now closed, but the public can still donate to the Christmas Toy Appeal.
We’ve selected these as they chime with where we operate for The Lead North, but if you know of other initiatives happening locally which deserve support then leave a comment and let us know
About the author: Ella is a freelance journalist specialising in worker's rights, housing, youth culture, social affairs and lifestyle. You can find her work in Tribune Magazine, Huck Magazine, Novara Media, VICE, Dazed, metro.co.uk and - most importantly - here at The Lead.
Here at The Lead, we’re campaigning to end child poverty. We have already reported on the crisis as a failure of the state, and the under-reported racial inequalities lying at the heart of child poverty. If this is an issue you care about, share this article to raise awareness and help more people discover our journalism.
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