One of the challenges of trying to help others is knowing where they are in order to offer your assistance.
Brought to you by the team at Enfield Voluntary Action (EVA).
Goodwill to all Men! Happy Holidays! Merry Xmas! Season’s Greetings! Happy New Year!
These are all phrases and sayings we will see and hear a lot of over the next few weeks.
However for some Christmastime is a period of difficulty, and many people want to do something to help the vulnerable in our community.
One of the challenges of trying to help others is knowing where they are in order to offer your assistance.
Here at the Volunteer Centre in Enfield (based in Edmonton), we help hundreds of people every year find volunteering activities they can do to help others. You are welcome to contact us at volunteering@enfieldva.org.uk or have a look at what is available to do as a volunteer at the national volunteering database: www.do-it.org .
However, it may be better at this time of year to directly contact organisations or people in your local community who are already getting ready to help vulnerable people during the winter and over Christmastime.
We recommend that you get in touch with your local church or faith group. You don’t have to be a member of the faith group or church or even be religious yourself to get involved. But many faith groups are running events for vulnerable people (some are even open on Christmas Day and Boxing Day) and would be glad of a helping hand from someone local. To find your local faith group, look here and click on the blue icons to get addresses and contact details.
One group that is looking for volunteers to help at their Winter Night Shelter (they are recruiting now) is St John the Evangelist Church at Palmers Green - Starting on 7 January 2019 for 14 weeks on Monday nights, they will be hosting a winter night shelter in the Parish Centre. They need volunteers to cook meals and other volunteers to cover shifts:
Evening shift – 6.30pm – 10.00pm
Night shift – 9.30pm – 7.00am
Morning shift – 6.30am – 9.00am
If you would like more information contact:
Nick Burch, nickburch77@hotmail.com
Nick Easton, nickeaston@btinternet.com
Tom Smith, tomdayna@hotmail.com
Of course there are large organisations that support the homeless, like Crisis.
There are nearly 1000 voluntary & community groups in Enfield Borough so there is a huge variety of formal and informal ways of getting involved which will fit in with your availability, interests, location etc.
If you are involved in any volunteering over the festive period, let us know what you are up to by tagging in @EnfieldCouncil and @EVAnewstweets on social media . Use the hashtag #ILoveEnfield . The I Love Enfield campaign celebrates those who volunteer in the borough and show pride in being part of Enfield.