Charities Working Together
Algarve Emporium Charity is proud and grateful to say that we have worked closely with other local charities. I would like to give each of them a mention.
❤️ First and foremost, Algarve Emporium Charity operates under the auspices of Associação Guarda-Chuva. Under this umbrella you will also find Support For Families and Tavira 2nd Chance.
We help and support each other in whatever way we can at all times.
❤️ Thank you Gabi Shepherd of Pakadora Association, who kindly donated some goods for us to sell earlier this year. Plus they have shared some fundraising earlier this year.
❤️ Thank you Su & Mike Davis & Lucy Mason of Support For Families for providing us with some amazing donations for our auctions.
❤️ We also work closely with Maggie & Justin Haywood of Little Starfish Charity Pamper Hampers Algarve. We help collect donations for them and they are providing us with some Pamper Hampers at Christmas for a few deserving people.
❤️ We share lots of donations with Charity Barn (Messines), greetings cards, books, DVDs and clothes etc. Charity Barn is part of Arm in Arm In Algarve Charity. We have also taken part in several of Arm in Arm’s fundraising events.
In return they have been very generous, giving us food to help our struggling families. Furthermore they give a tremendous amount of help each Christmas.
Look out for our Christmas 2023 blog where there will be much more about the fabulous things Ricky of Arm in Arm, Anita Kersey and the rest of the team are doing with us to help our families.
❤️ Kay Cox, who is an important part of our team, has a close relationship with Apoio Aos Animais de Guia (charity shop). They help us find the things needed by our families. They have helped us many times. Recently they supplied us with winter sheets for a lady visiting Tunes who is in a really bad situation.
❤️ Talking with Debby Burton, we are able to help someone that is out of our area but definitely within our remit.
❤️ We also liaise with Carolina at Associação Amar e Ajudar in Algoz and Sonia Pais who works with Tunes & Algoz Junta de Freguesia about the families. How best to help families and make sure we are not doubling up and wasting limited resources.
❤️ Through Lucy Mason, when Refood closed for the month of August, we were given short date food, within date when given but would have been out of date when they returned from vacation. This food was gratefully received by our families.
❤️ Last year St Vincent’s Anglican Church Algarve (in Luz) sponsored the food for 2 of our families for a year. For their privacy we simply referred to them as Families A and B. We began the year by sending to the committee at the church, a summary of each family’s situation when we had first taken them on and then how, through no fault of their own or ours, life had more tears in store for them and their daily lives had become so much worse. This being the reason why they were chosen. At that point in time we were at our maximum capacity of feeding 40 families, and unsure of how long we could maintain that level of support. The Bertie Watson Trust therefore guaranteed that these 2 families had a secured year of support ahead of them. We followed up with some updates, to the committee, as the year progressed. I am delighted to report that the situation for one of those families has improved, but sadly the 2nd is still in very difficult times. However we continue to give them regular support.
Earlier this year we received a further, very generous donation but this time no feed back was needed.
Both these offers came out of the blue to us and we are extremely grateful for this help.
❤️ Elaine and Stephan Cloete, who are part of the Algarve Emporium Charity team, are also part of the International Evangelical church of the Algarve based in Vale Judeu. In the summer, the church organises Camp Sunshine, where young people and orphans can have a weeks break and it’s run over 3 consecutive weeks in July. We had been given a lot of baked beans, and tomato ketchup, very generously given by customers of the Food Co. Guia. We shared some of them to help feed the children at the camp.
From 3rd to 5th December they also turn the site into Bethlehem Village, with donkeys and sheep, the nativity comes to life. Tea and coffee is served, there are tables selling bric a brac and the children and adults love it. We also gave the church some children’s DVDs which will be in the marque for the children.
It’s all about networking.