Donate a Christmas Gift to someone experiencing homelessness
How it works
1) Choose your gifts
Winter turns homelessness from hard to dangerous. A warm coat, a christmas dinner, a hot breakfast, a dry pair of socks; each one keeps someone safer through the cold months. Choose a gift below to help make that happen.
2) Add a message of support
A short note reminds someone that a stranger thought of them. You can also send an e-card to a friend or family member, showing them the gift you've given in their name.
3) Our volunteers will get to work
Staff and volunteers like Maggie and Clare turn your donation into direct support, on the ground, for people who need it the most.
Carmel's story
From Crisis to Hope
Carmel was thrown out of her home by her abusive boyfriend. With nowhere to turn and her support network diminished, she found herself cold, isolated and desperate just before Christmas.
After a brief stay in emergency accommodation, Carmel found HARP. She was greeted with warmth, given breakfast, and assigned a support worker who truly listened.
HARP provided Carmel with accommodation at their women-only housing. Through counselling, financial support, and their recovery programme, she began to heal from her trauma. In 2018, Carmel moved into her own flat and now works as a face painter at children's events, with hopes of expanding into a small business.
"HARP helped me at a time when I had no one else. I was completely broken and didn't have the strength to help myself. I honestly don't know where I would have ended up without their support."
Can't choose?
Frequently asked questions
Yes! We're a registered charity number 1099126.
We're also registered with the Fundraising Regulator, a voluntary scheme for charities committed to legal, open, honest an respectful fundraising.
Yes! We have over 120 volunteers and we're always looking for more. Click here if you'd like to find out more.
For many of the people we support, Christmas is a lonely and isolating time. Many have lost contact with their friends and family. We're doing everything we can to support them, but your message can show them someone out there (a stranger like you!) does care.
Every item in this store represents meals and emergency support provided by HARP in Essex. We see immense demand for our services all year round, especially at Christmas time when the streets are freezing cold. Your donation (and any Gift Aid contribution) will help us provide hot meals, emergency accommodation, and vital support to people in need. To ensure we can respond to urgent needs as they arise, we may allocate funds across our meal and emergency support services where they're needed most. Whatever happens, we promise that 100% of your donation will be used to help people experiencing homelessness in Essex.
We don't have the resource to track every gift - but if you opt into phone and or email contact we'll provide an update on your impact.
