YMCA launches Winter Warmer campaign for Giving Tuesday

A LOCAL youth charity is asking for donations of warm clothing for the vulnerable young people of its housing projects as part of a campaign around the international Giving Tuesday day of support.

YMCA Humber houses over 100 young people each night of the year in its three housing projects in Grimsby and staff at the charity have identified a lack of warm clothing provision as one of the areas of concern during the winter months and they are asking for public support through donations of good quality warm clothing, such as hats, scarves, coats and thermal socks.

The campaign, entitled Winter Warmer, is encouraging people to make those donations at their local YMCA project or at local businesses, details of which will follow on social media.

Sam Palmer is a coach at YMCA Humber’s Foyer project in Grimsby and his was her initial idea to do something to provide young people with warm clothes to use during the winter months.

She said: “One of the problems we face at YMCA during the winter months is young people’s lack of suitable clothing for the cold weather.

“They are often going out into the cold in thin tracksuit tops or something similar and, when we approach them about getting wrapped up, they tell us that they don’t own any warm clothing and they don’t always have the disposable income to buy a suitable coat or thermal clothing.

“And it has a knock-on effect with illnesses, meaning young people cannot attend college, which affects their progression and then there’s always the possibility of passing those illnesses onto staff and other young people.”

YMCA Humber has taken part in Giving Tuesday for the last two years and in 2015 showcased its Immingham youth club and accommodation and support services through the ‘Subterranean Homeless Blues’ video – a take on the popular Bob Dylan video for ‘Subterranean Homesick Blues’.

And this year, the charity’s Events and Marketing Team have decided to utilise their Giving Tuesday campaign to reach out for warm clothing donations.

Jonathan Byrne, Events and Marketing Lead added: “Giving Tuesday is the day in the calendar where people are encouraged to do something good for charity after the big spending of Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

“We have taken part in Giving Tuesday for several years now and reaped the benefits through fundraising, donations and additional coverage of our work, particularly through social media.

“This year we thought about the different ways people can donate to our charity, it is not just financially or through volunteering time, and donations of winter clothing will benefit our young people immensely.”

Drop-off points for YMCA Humber’s Winter Warmer campaign are currently:

YMCA Humber Peaks Lane Housing Project, Peaks Lane, Grimsby, N E Lincs, DN32 9ET

YMCA Humber Foyer Project, Orwell Street, Grimsby, N E Lincs, DN31 3HB

For more details on the Winter Warmer campaign, please call YMCA Humber on 01472 359 621 or email info@ymca-humber.com.

Further information on YMCA Humber’s work is available at www.ymca-humber.com .

For more information on Giving Tuesday in the UK, please visit www.givingtuesday.org.uk.