Shoppers help Crawley homeless charity

The shelter will soon be offering classes in bike maintenance and furniture restoration which could help those who take part seek employment and better their situation.

The charity has been looking after the homeless and vulnerable in this community since 1994.

Last year 17,000 people took advantage of the services they offer, including counselling, health and financial advice and life skills classes.

The day centre also provides visitors the chance to have a shower, get a haircut as well having a check-up with a GP or chiropodist.

Under the Co-op’s membership scheme, members receive a five per cent reward for any purchases they make of own-brand products and services, with a further one per cent directly benefitting local causes. Shoppers at the food store in Crawley have chosen to support the Crawley Open House.

Ian Wilkins from Crawley Open House said: “We are a charity and our local government funding is under pressure so we can’t thank Co-op members and the Local Community Fund enough for the generous amount of money raised.

“Our drop-in day centre can be accessed by anybody who needs help, advice or just the company of somebody who cares, empathises and who tries to understand. “

Rebecca Birkbeck, Director of Community Engagement at the Co-op, said: “The more people shop, the more we share, and the more impact we can have in communities. People can get involved by becoming a member, swiping their card, and choosing the cause they want to support. By choosing their local cause, our members are telling us what really matters in their communities.

“Last year we invested £19 million in over 4,000 groups UK-wide, supporting a wide range of initiatives from village halls and community spaces to skills initiatives and neighbourhood watch schemes, all of which are helping to make communities across the UK safer, happier, and healthier places to live.”

“By joining the Co-op’s membership scheme shoppers can contribute to the money raised for the causes, and they can choose which of these groups they wish to support by logging on to the Co-op’s membership website at www.coop.co.uk/membership.”