Become a Stonepillow '˜friend' and help the homeless this Christmas

Christmas is a time to be surrounded by friends and family, however, many homeless people will be facing a hard and lonely winter this year.
Stonepillow volunteers prepping Christmas foodStonepillow volunteers prepping Christmas food
Stonepillow volunteers prepping Christmas food

The Observer is running a campaign to help homeless charity Stonepillow to appeal for volunteers to make that difference in someone’s life.

By becoming a ‘friend’ of Stonepillow you could become that familiar face to someone who might have no-one.

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Chief executive Geoffrey Willis said: “Stonepillow needs friends – and so do homeless people.

“Losing your home means not only the loss of a roof and walls, but very frequently the loss of the community and friends on whom people have depended.

“Relationship breakdown is the most frequent trigger for becoming homeless which means you lose the person you most relied on and most spent time with.”

Mr Willis added: “Homelessness is very isolating – and finding new friends can be difficult – which makes it all the more difficult to cope.

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“So we need friends, buddies and mentors to simply spend a bit of time sitting, chatting and, most important, listening to our clients.

“You aren’t expected to solve their problems, but a listening ear, a friendly voice, someone who cares and who is prepared to sit and have a chat over a cup of coffee can make all the difference in the world.”

Stonepillow offers shelter, information and support to empower homeless and vulnerable individuals to make positive changes in their lives.

Geoffrey continued to say that if you would like to volunteer as a friend you would be paired up with someone who would welcome a ‘buddy’ and you will be provided with some basic but essential training.

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“You can join us in supporting a homeless person on the road to recovery,” added Geoffrey.

If you want to be part of the Christmas appeal for friends of the homeless, you can get in touch by calling 01243 537934 or you can email [email protected]

Alternatively, if you are too busy to volunteer but still want to join in with the Christmas goodwill, you can donate by texting STPW25 followed by the amount you want to give to 70070.

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