52 Lives

#268 .

Request: Christmas presents / Donations / Christmas cards / Kind messages

Each year, 52 Lives helps to buy Christmas presents for people going through difficult times. Last year, we helped to buy gifts for more than 1000 people staying in refuges, homeless shelters, people suffering domestic abuse, or living in deprivation. We do this by partnering with some amazing organisations, schools and charities who work with people in need - this means we can directly reach people who need kindness the most.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

We have set up Amazon wishlists for each of the organisations, and the gifts you buy from these lists will be sent directly to those organisations to give to the people who need them. Wherever possible - particularly for the children's gifts - we have chosen things that they have specifically asked their parents / carers for. We are also accepting financial donations, which we will use to buy gifts from high street stores and small businesses.

WHAT DO I DO?

1. Choose an organisation to help from the list below and click 'Buy a Gift'.
2. Select a gift from their Amazon wishlist. Most of the gifts are priced between £10 and £20 but there are some cheaper options as well.
3. Checking out ... when you checkout, choose the 'gift registry' address. This will mean your gift will be sent straight to the organisation. Please don't choose the 'gift wrap' option, but you can include a gift message if you wish.
4. Feel wonderful. When we're kind, it doesn't just help the person we're kind to. It also improves our own physical and mental health.

Want to donate instead?
If you would rather give a financial donation, please click here to donate online - we will be using 100% of your donations to buy gifts from some high street stores and small businesses. You can also donate by text:Text Secretsanta and the amount you wish to donate to 70450 Eg. To donate £5, just text secretsanta 5. (Texts cost your donation amount plus one standard rate message. The minimum donation amount via text is £1 and maximum is £20. We will not use your mobile number for any form of marketing communications).

Buying a gift on behalf of someone else?
Download our Christmas gift note to let them know you have bought a gift in their name - there's a printable and an email version (click here to view and download the gift note).

Can't afford a gift?
We know it's been a tough year and not everyone can afford to help. If you would rather send a Christmas card or a kind message to someone in need, you can write your message in the form below (your contact details will not be passed along) or Christmas cards can be posted to: 52 Lives (Christmas), PO Box 3154, Reading, RG1 9AT. Your cards and messages will be given to the people we're helping, along with the gifts.

Buy a Gift

If you are unsure how to buy from an Amazon wishlist, we have produced this handy guide! (Please note: If you can't add an item to your basket, try clicking on the item, and then adding it to your basket.)

Berkshire Women's Aid
Berkshire Women’s Aid has refuges across Reading, Wokingham and Bracknell providing emergency accommodation for women and children in crisis. The people they support are escaping abusive relationships and there has sadly been a dramatic increase in the number of people seeking their support since the Covid pandemic hit. This Christmas there will be 77 children in their refuges and we would love to buy a gift for each of them.
BUY A GIFT

Emmeline's Pantry, Manchester
A Manchester food bank and support service, helping woman and children in need. They have seen a 75% increase in client numbers this year and will be providing food for more than 120 women and 300 children at Christmas. We would love to give all of them a Christmas present, along with their food parcels.
BUY A GIFT

First Days Children's Charity 
First Days believes all children deserve the same start in life, and help to provide essentials items for families living in poverty. Some have escaped domestic violence, some have been homeless and placed in temporary accommodation, some have lost their entire incomes, while others are struggling with physical and mental health issues. For the children, it's a very scary time. The First Days team is in need of Christmas presents for 50 of the children they are supporting. 
BUY A GIFT

Home Start Ceredigion, Wales
The team at Home Start in Ceredigion work with vulnerable families who have children living in poverty, are affected by ACES (Adverse Childhood Experiences) such as living in a household affected by domestic violence, substance misuse or mental illness. In their words, they would love to be able to “give these children a little bit of hope and happiness this Christmas, as Covid has made this year even more difficult.” We want to help them to give all of these children a Christmas present, as well as several of the mums and dads who are in need of kindness.
BUY A GIFT

Stirling Women's Aid, Scotland
Stirling & District Women’s Aid operates 13 refuges for women and children, and also supports families in need through their outreach services. They feel that gift cards would be the most helpful thing for the families at the moment, so we will be using your donations to buy gift cards.
MAKE A DONATION

St Richard's School, London
This is a school based on the edge of London with a high number of children from deprived families. We will be aiming to provide the school with 95 gifts for children they identify as needing help this Christmas.
BUY A GIFT

GDWG
GDWG is a charity that provides help to asylum seekers and immigrants being detained at Gatwick. It’s a scary and very lonely time for many of them. Being able to send their own children a present would mean the world, and we would like to make that possible. So this Christmas, we would like to provide gifts for the children of people being held in detention, as well as some practical items needed by those detained (eg. warm gloves and socks).
BUY A GIFT

Offer support

Offer help or send a message

(if you are sending a message of support for the person we’re helping, there is no need to fill in your email address or telephone number)

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