Southampton City Mission (SCM), an independent, Christian organisation that has provided food to over 8,000 Sotonians in the past year, has received funding from the Barker-Mill Foundation (BMF) in the shape of £8,750 to cover the charity’s office and warehouse rent for 2016.
SCM was established in 1963 to support the community of Southampton, and in 1996 the organisation opened its Basic Bank service that provides food and clothing for people struggling with the effects of poverty in Southampton.
To ensure there is a continual supply of food and clothing throughout the year, regardless of the amount donated by the public, the charity relies on warehouse storage to hold the goods. Historically, Swaythling Methodist Church, provided free storage space but due to the rise in demand the charity has moved to an industrial warehouse.
Barker-Mill Foundation’s donation will cover the cost of the charity’s office base and warehouse storage for the year, enabling SCM to have a secure, fit-for-purpose warehouse and office building. This enables them to continue supporting people in Southampton who are facing hardship irrespective of their race, religion, age or gender.
Tim Jobling, Trustee at the Barker-Mill Foundation said: “There are so many people in Southampton who rely on SCM to survive, and that is why we felt it only right to provide the funding.
“It’s a great year for the charity as they’ve hit a milestone. Over the 20 years the Basics Bank has been in service they’ve helped thousands and thousands of local people and we feel proud to help them to continue and thrive.”
SCM Basic Banks are fuelled by the dedication of its staff and the 120 volunteers who generously give their time. Nevertheless, even with all the good work from the staff and volunteers, unless the charity has funding to pay their staff, fuel the delivery van and pay the rent and bills, the service would stop.
David Osborne, Basics Bank manager at SCM said: “We’re delighted to be celebrating our 20th Anniversary this year! We’ve gone from helping 839 people in our first year to over 8,000 in our 20th.
“We rely on donations to ensure we can keep providing for those in need in Southampton. We’re thrilled that BMF are supporting us. Having a secure warehouse to store our goods will make all the difference! Thank you, Barker-Mill Foundation!”
If you’d like to make a donation visit: http://www.southamptoncitymission.co.uk/donations