The community around Watford came together in a heartfelt campaign to feed and gift struggling families during Christmas.
Winston Davis, a charitable heating engineer from Watford, teamed up with Cllr Bilqees Mauthoor, Xtra Time Sports & Childcare and others to deliver over £2,000 worth of food and toys for 35 families over Christmas.
Mr Davis collaborated with the team after seeing an ongoing campaign within the Autumn season to feed those struggling from general poverty and during the pandemic. After seeing the outreach from the community, Mr Davis decided to help out with the campaign to push for both foods and gifts in the winter season.
An appeal video for struggling families to come forward and for donators to share their support was shared on social media, and it “spiralled really quickly” to many members of the community helping out with donations.
This included the Wenzel’s bakery that donated a lot of cake and milk and the Unique Sports Management that donated a ‘mini-bus full of food’.
Mr Davis, who has been holding various charitable tasks and helping youth support groups, said: “I’m an optimist I thought a couple of hours with two guys in one minibus and we’d be done,” but it took all day to the night.
“The response – some parts there were tears, other parts there were laughing. You think we live in a first-world country and there is no such thing as poverty, but there were people hit this year like they’ve never been hit before.”
He said: “The Christmas for these families literally changed.”
“We had one family with young children, and one of the boys said ‘wow we’re actually going to have a real turkey for dinner.’ - to him it’s special.”
Mr Davis recalled that one family was shocked that the team even held this campaign, and another mother said they had “saved Christmas”.
Talking about the motivation to help out others, he said: “Every time I do bits, it’s always a reminder to me that there’s so much good we can all do for each other. People want to support others, they just need to find a vehicle for that and be shown there’s something to do.”
The heating engineer explained that he had grew up in a “tough upbringing” himself and said his motivation to help others was to show “you don’t have to be a product of your environment.”
He said: “You can challenge whatever the status quo is and become more than what society might believe is possible. I believe everyone has the right to a fair chance in life, and if I’m able to help somebody I will.”
“We believe that in working collaboratively we can achieve greater things by bringing communities together, no child should go hungry and that no one should feel lonely or isolated.
“The struggles people are facing is heart breaking, but by letting families know that people are out there to support goes a very long way.”
The fundraising campaign for further support is ongoing, to donate visit: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/supportcommunity2020
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