The Lincolnshire Co-operative has kicked off a new fundraising campaign by giving away £140,000 worth of food, household goods and toiletries to charities working with homeless people. 

The society has given away an assortment of products, including 720 cans of baked beans, 1,080 packets of rice pudding, 900 tins of vegetable soup, 1,360 shower gels, 600 boxes of tissues and 1,200 bottles of washing up liquid to charities which have a food store nearby.

The Co-op will support 14 chosen homeless charities during December, January and February and every time a Co-operative member shops using their dividend card, a donation will be made to one of the chosen charities. 

Donations will also be combined with the proceeds from the carrier bag levy and amounts raised by staff fundraising.

For the whole three-month period, customers of Lincolnshire Co-op’s 49 pharmacies will be encouraged to donate toiletries to homeless people. Items like toothpaste, shower gel, deodorant, sanitary items and soap can be dropped off at collection points in the branches. 

Sam Turner, Lincolnshire Co-op’s community manager, said: “We’re excited to be raising funds for our Community Champions, 14 amazing charities which are working with homeless people and raising awareness of the issues surrounding homelessness. We’ve started with this major donation of groceries, which will help people in emergency and ‘move on’ accommodation. This is just the beginning as we’ve got lots of different fundraising events and initiatives planned.”

Framework is a charity that runs services including emergency and Move On accommodation in locations across the county, including Lincoln, Boston, Spalding, Holbeach and Sleaford, accommodating up to 159 people every night. 

Framework’s Louise Hart said: “This donation will help us provide starter packs for people in emergency and Move On accommodation. There are lots of products which we can use to make meals with people living in our accommodation too, which helps them develop life skills for the future. We’re very excited about the partnership with Lincolnshire Co-op over the next three months.”

The charities Lincolnshire Co-op is supporting are:

  • · P3 (People, Potential, Possibilities), Lincolnshire-wide.
  • · Framework, Lincolnshire-wide
  • · The Nomad Trust, Lincoln
  • · Centrepoint Outreach, Boston
  • · Newark Emmaus Trust
  • · The Forge Project, Scunthorpe
  • · Salvation Army, Skegness
  • · Axiom, West Lindsey
  • · Harbour Place, Grimsby
  • · Grantham Poverty Concern
  • · Purfleet Trust, Kings Lynn
  • · Hope Community Services, Worksop

  • Foundation UK, Scarborough

  • Doorstep of Hull