Housewares Business-to-business magazine for housewares retailers and their suppliers
Every Christmas, industry charity the Rainy Day Trust (RDT) sends a small hamper or food voucher to its most vulnerable beneficiaries. They also receive a hand-written Christmas card.
RDT ceo Bryan Clover said: ‘It can be a difficult time for many, so a hamper with a few luxury items can make a huge difference. It includes a small Christmas cake, tea, coffee, jam and biscuits, among other things. Some prefer to have a voucher for their local market, especially those with dietary issues.
“We can also help with advice and guidance on debt which, as we all know, can become worse over Christmas. Wrap that up with our telephone counselling service and I think that we are able to give a strong level of support for people who may be struggling. As the industries that we support try to cope with the political chaos around Brexit, we hear from more and more people as they face reduced hours or redundancy.
“For the majority, Christmas is a time of fun and giving. But for many, it’s a different picture altogether. We can be there for them, giving direct help or advice and information on how to cope. With mental health starting to get the headlines that it needs, we can help people through a tough time. We are your charity, helping your people.”
He added: “This Christmas support doesn’t come free and we need to generate the funds to support it. We will be running a ‘12 Days of Christmas Auction’ on our Facebook and Twitter feeds, and we are also asking businesses to sponsor a hamper for £50, or make a donation of stock that we can sell and then raise the money that we need.”
To make a donation or sponsor a hamper, go to https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/rdtchristmas2019. If you would like to donate stock that RDT can use, e-mail bryan@rainydaytrust.org.uk
Look out for the ‘12 Days of Christmas Auction’ on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/rainydaytrust/ and Twitter at https://twitter.com/RAINYDAYTRUST
RDT operates across three sectors (builders merchants, DIY & hardware and housewares & tabletop) which have a combined turnover of more than £50 billion and employ close to 500,000 people. It is the only charity which exists solely to help people who have worked in these industries, including DIY shops, hardware stores, builders merchants, garden centres, cookshops, and all the manufacturers, distributors and retailers in the UK that supply them. RDT grew out of two benevolent funds for the industry with roots back to 1843, and now offers a range of services to retail and supplier employees – from a regular cash payment to white goods and house repairs.
RDT says: ‘Donating stock – as [housewares supplier] The DRH Collection did at the start of 2019 – is a great way to offer fundraising support for the charity’
