Local charities in Canterbury benefit from £30,000 of Serco donations

Three local charities in Canterbury have been awarded donations of £10,000 each over a two year period by Serco, Canterbury City Council’s waste collection and recycling provider, as part of Serco’s commitment to supporting the local community. 

The three charities were carefully selected by Serco and Canterbury City Council from a large number of applicants for the positive impact they will be able to make in the local area with the help of the donation funding. 

The three charities awarded the donations are: 

• Catching Lives, a charity focused on supporting rough sleepers, homeless and vulnerably housed people in Canterbury and East Kent, who will use the donation to support the operation of their winter Canterbury Community Shelter. The shelter, which will open on 1 December, is now in its eighth year of operation, and this year is aiming to offer around 20 more beds on some nights with the help of the donation funding. 
• Whitstable Umbrella Centre, who will use the donation to deliver ‘Out & About’ – a programme of up to 40 group outings in Kent for Whitstable residents who are lonely, vulnerable or facing disadvantage. The project aims to combat isolation and loneliness and support people's mental and physical health by bringing together people who are experiencing hard times to discover new places together. 
• Canterbury Food Bank, which will use the donation to provide professional advice and support at its food bank outreach cafes in Canterbury, working in partnership with Citizens Advice. Residents attending the outreach cafes to collect food parcels will be given access to free high-quality confidential advice, information and support on a wide range of topics including entitlement to benefits, debt, employment rights, consumer issues and housing problems. 

Professor Peter Taylor-Gooby OBE, Canterbury Food Bank Trustee, said:

“We’re really delighted with Serco’s generosity to Canterbury Food Bank, which enables us to continue working in partnership with the Citizen Advice Bureau at our distribution cafes. This joint approach allows us to distribute the emergency food parcels that families and individuals need when they face difficult times, as well as giving access to high quality advice, information and support.”

David Austin, Serco Contract Manager for Canterbury, said:

“We are proud to be part of the local community here in Canterbury so we wanted to do our bit to help good causes in the local area. These charities do some amazing work to support some of Canterbury’s most vulnerable residents, and we hope our donations will help them to make even more of a positive difference for local people.”
 

Ends