View Full Version : Can we help out?
I was just thinking :eek:
a lot of us find the discomfort pensioners are living in to be horrendous soooooo how about we on the org try to do something as a group to ease this for some of our worst affected local pensioners. Maybe a food collection that could be distributed to help them out as a christmas treat. I know I would happily donate.
Is this a feasible idea? :confused
ps I posted this in another topic but couldn't delete it and decided it needed it's own space.
It is a great idea...How do you you suggest we go about organising it?
Maybe setup a paypal account where peeps could donate to it, or ask one of the local organisations that do such thing and how we could donate to them
Thats the problem the idea is there but how do we start. If we did it that we all donated food, or coal or even meter cards we would need some type of collection point. I cannot stand the thought of of people cold over winter. Why should our friends and neighbours be suffering. It could even be made up as food boxes or gift boxes so as not to offend.
alanatkie
24-Nov-07, 01:31
I think it is a fantasic idea. I know that Castletown Football club (i think) that raise money & then distribute hampers to all the pensioners within the village & have done this for years.
Is their anywhere out there that dose this for other town's & villages?
Especially when their (i hope) is more people out their that would love to donate!!!
Or...Could ask local post offices to collect a list of names of pensioners(not sure where you could get a decisive list). But with apparently ober 1300 active users on the ORG, if we only gave a tenner each or what you can afford, then we may well raise over £13,000. @ £30 - 50 per house we can help a lot of people, who really need our help at this time of year.
I just think the org is a big part of Caithness and this is the very best place to get this type of ball rolling and I think as a community we could make a real difference to an otherwise cold and lonely time of the year.
what we need is a hall where people could come and have dinner, all get together, have some fun and company.
I will talk to hubby but I think what I will do is not put the outdoor christmas lights up this year and make some type of donation instead to keeping the elderly warm and cosy instead of wasting the money on my lights.
alanatkie
24-Nov-07, 01:40
The local post offices for those pensioners that still use the post office or the hydro electric shop would be able to add their own names to a list so that people can help them out but maybe lazytown has a point as there is many orgers away from home that would like to help their home country & wish to donate through paypal.
changilass
24-Nov-07, 01:45
Surely if you are having donations then you would have to register as a charity and have all the legal crap that goes with it.
The original idea of food parcels could be done without I think, but could be wrong.
This has been happening throughout Caithness for as long as I can remember - the Rotary and Round Table make it happen - I donate every year. I can't think how you've missed this. Here's one link :-
http://www.radit.org.uk/wdrt/index.swf
alanatkie
24-Nov-07, 01:48
This has been happening throughout Caithness for as long as I can remember - the Rotary and Round Table make it happen - I donate every year. I can't think how you've missed this. Here's one link :-
http://www.radit.org.uk/wdrt/index.swf (http://forum.caithness.org/go.php?url=http://forum.caithness.org/go.php?url=http://www.radit.org.uk/wdrt/index.swf)
We have missed this because it is not advertised. I know about the castletown one because i have lived here for years but have never hear off any others doing it. & the website dosen't mention any thing about going out their & bringing all the pensioners together for Christmas dinner.
What about the local Salvation army Hall in Wick, could peeps not deliver donations to there, they would proberly have a good idea who the needy ones are? Or if not them, then the Red Cross ?
alanatkie
24-Nov-07, 01:54
Great idea Seabird between their & thurso & castletown For meals on Christmas Day. Christmas is all about no one being alone at Christmas I am sure their is many people out their willing to give a hour or 2 on Christmas day 2 help others.
what my mam alway's did and I do now is either invite a lone pensioner or hard up neighbour to share Christmas dinner or if you have no room, plate up an extra one or two and take round to them. Everyone nearly always cooks too much and often it gets wasted. There used to be an old Tramp called Lenny who lived under a bridge by the river in Reading. He was a pleasant old man who would help anyone, he once found a wallet and took it to the local police station, such was his honesty. He was offered council accomadation, but he had been an Hobo for so long, he could,nt leave his way of life. Peeps, including myself, often dropped him off some food, clothes, blankets and someone took him down a mattress. He had a homemade tent and made the place into his home, right next to the roadside. You would often see him sat on a homemade stool, with a smile and a wave. At Christmas, he was the best fed man in the county as lots of peeps had the same idea of taking him down a xmas dinner.So whatever peeps can give, small or large and in whatever form, always helps someone.
What about the local Salvation army Hall in Wick, could peeps not deliver donations to there, they would proberly have a good idea who the needy ones are? Or if not them, then the Red Cross ?
Why deliver, if we could get a local hall, that way nobody eats alone, everyone has fun.
changilass
24-Nov-07, 02:19
still think that would involve a lot of legal and H&S crap - one person goes down with food poisining and your up to your armpits in do da
alanatkie
24-Nov-07, 02:20
That is a point bluelady, but not always in a community do you know who is worst off or spending Christmas alone. If their is people out their who want to help within their own commuity we should all have our opportunity to help & encourage pensioners & people spending time alone to join together.
Let's look at it this way how many of us want to spend Christmas alone?
I was just thinking :eek:
a lot of us find the discomfort pensioners are living in to be horrendous soooooo how about we on the org try to do something as a group to ease this for some of our worst affected local pensioners. Maybe a food collection that could be distributed to help them out as a christmas treat. I know I would happily donate..
What area are you in Unicorn? This is a tremedous idea....
We have missed this because it is not advertised...... I know about the castletown one because i have lived here for years but have never hear off any others doing it. & the website dosen't mention any thing about going out their & bringing all the pensioners together for Christmas dinner.
Please forgive my ignorance alanatkie - I was responding to Unicorn's post and I am aware that the Rotary & Round Table distribute food hampers each year. They go about their work with some compassion and a lot of discretion, which is probably why you've not heard about them much.
Your point of "bringing all the pensioners together for Christmas dinner" is a totally separate issue.
What about the local Salvation army Hall in Wick, could peeps not deliver donations to there, they would proberly have a good idea who the needy ones are? Or if not them, then the Red Cross ?
Great idea Seabird - over to AndrewC.....
alanatkie
24-Nov-07, 02:58
Don't think it would be a h & s issue as if u have a soup & sandwiches event or a baking stall - people buy if they want to. they wouldn't be buying it is a donation such as a soup kitchen/homeless meal idea or infact inviting someone 2 ur house for dinner.
The post office or social work dept would not give out pensioners name and addresses, it is not allowed. Pensioners in wick get a free christmas dinner in the assembly rooms.
I think it is a geat idea to hold a christmas dinner, but pensioners dont like to accept "charity". I think it would be difficult to find people because of the privacy laws. Maybe arrange something in a hall, like the BB hall or somewhere else with a kitchen. Put an ad in the paper and see how many would reply. Better still if the orgers get together for a meeting and pick a small committee, then put an article in the paper saying you intend to hold a christmas dinner and have a contact phone number for people to phone. i would come!!
changilass
24-Nov-07, 03:41
We used to do a 'grandy' for christmas thing when I lived in yorkshire, basically anyone willing to have one or more pensioners come to have lunch with them on christmas day put their name forward and the 'grandys' (grandparents for the day) contacted the families to arrange to go, kids had a great time cos they got to adopt grandparents and the 'grandys' enjoyed playing with the kids, getting a nice meal and everyone enjoyed the company. We had the same couple come to our house for 4 yrs running, it was great.
A child can't have too many grandparents lol
Royster1911
24-Nov-07, 12:11
I was just thinking :eek:
a lot of us find the discomfort pensioners are living in to be horrendous soooooo how about we on the org try to do something as a group to ease this for some of our worst affected local pensioners. Maybe a food collection that could be distributed to help them out as a christmas treat. I know I would happily donate.
Is this a feasible idea? :confused
ps I posted this in another topic but couldn't delete it and decided it needed it's own space.
We used to have a collection (harvest thanksgiving) of foods for the Salvation Army, who organised the foods collected and made up food boxes for the elderly. The problem with the setup was that people who wanted/needed a box of food did not get nominated (by grandchildren etc) for one and felt neglected, knowing that the next door neighbour was getting one. On the other hand, people who were informed that they had been nominated to get one were insulted as they did not accept charity! How do you sort out that problem? Good idea though.
alanatkie
24-Nov-07, 12:44
We used to have a collection (harvest thanksgiving) of foods for the Salvation Army, who organised the foods collected and made up food boxes for the elderly. The problem with the setup was that people who wanted/needed a box of food did not get nominated (by grandchildren etc) for one and felt neglected, knowing that the next door neighbour was getting one. On the other hand, people who were informed that they had been nominated to get one were insulted as they did not accept charity! How do you sort out that problem? Good idea though.
In Castletown they have a list in the Post office & people add a pensioners name that they know never got a hamper last year (ie people who have just become pensioner or just moved to the village). So anyone could add a name to the list.
I think the best way to go about it is probably to do a mass org collection and donate it to the rotary club. I never knew they did it. I don't think a meal would be the way to go as I also think that there will be health and safety etc and I wouldn't want it to be seen as a charity meal etc. So really the rotary club seems the best way to go for me. Mass collection and see what we can do.
We used to do a 'grandy' for christmas thing when I lived in yorkshire, basically anyone willing to have one or more pensioners come to have lunch with them on christmas day put their name forward and the 'grandys' (grandparents for the day) contacted the families to arrange to go, kids had a great time cos they got to adopt grandparents and the 'grandys' enjoyed playing with the kids, getting a nice meal and everyone enjoyed the company. We had the same couple come to our house for 4 yrs running, it was great.
A child can't have too many grandparents lol
this is what we do, I dont ken a lot of peeps, but if I ken someone is on their own, I'll invite them and it's up to them if they want to come (not just OAP's)
Aquarian Girl
25-Nov-07, 01:17
Few years local guiders used to prepare christmas boxes and deliver to OAP's also used to cook a meal and deliver to those who got meals on wheels. Think WRVS were involved somewhere along the line
Powered by vBulletin® Copyright © 2024 vBulletin Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.