SCHOOLS CHRISTMAS SUGAR COLLECTION

B.E.F.A.  

The Buckingham Emergency Food Appeal

Muckle Hill Farm,    Spa Common    North Walsham,     Norfolk,   NR28 9AJ

Tel: 01692 – 407262       e-mail: forBefa@aol.com

 

(Reg. Charity No. 1066578.)

 

September 2003.

 

 

 

This letter is to invite your help in this, our 17th annual collection of sugar for the homeless this Christmas.

 

Although it still seems very early to be talking about Christmas, it’s time to ask you again if you will help us to bring some comfort to the homeless and vulnerable at what is for them a particularly difficult time of year.  We ask children to collect sugar because they can carry it easily, yet it feels “important”, and they know the “comfortable” feeling it brings.  Also, a packet of sugar is affordable, which allows most families to participate.   Sugar also packs, transports, and stores easily, and is needed by the Shelters in vast amounts.  

 

British Sugar have agreed to help us again this year,  matching packet for packet, up to a total of 2 tonnes, the amount of their Silver Spoon brand sugar collected.  Last year Norfolk schools collected over 4 tonnes of sugar.  With British Sugar’s match this became 6 tonnes!  This quantity supplied the winter needs of all the Open Christmases, Homeless Shelters and Women’s Refuges in Norfolk and north Suffolk, as well as other Agencies who help the homeless, such as the Salvation Army.  Also, not forgetting our neighbours, some went to similar projects in Cambridgeshire and in the Manchester area, and some to Crisis and other projects in London. 

 

Many Norfolk schools also collected money for us from Harvest Festivals, Christmas Concerts, “Come As You Like” Days or other fundraisers, which helped us buy Christmas food for these projects too.

 

The broad outlines of what BEFA does are on the attached Fact Sheet.  We try to keep it simple and direct; we will not waste your time.   We sincerely hope that you will feel able to join the band of Norfolk Schools (over 60 last year) who help us.

 

If you require any more information, or would like to be put in touch with another school which has collected sugar for us, please let us know.   We try to make things as easy as possible for schools; we know just how busy you are!   We can usually supply posters etc. and a speaker if you wish (but please let us know as soon as possible if you do!) 

 

Our collection schedule normally gets quite hectic in the last few weeks of term, so we would be very grateful if you could let us know as soon as possible if you would like to help, and we can make arrangements to suit you.

 

Thank you for taking the time to read our Appeal.   We look forward to hearing from you, and hope you will be part of the ever-increasing number of schools who do so much good, (and have so much fun doing it!) by collecting sugar for the homeless at Christmas.  I should end by saying that if it is more convenient for you to help with a collection of money, this would, of course, be extremely useful.

 

Yours sincerely,

Peter and Polly Bowles.

BEFA Volunteers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

B.E.F.A. SCHOOLS CHRISTMAS SUGAR COLLECTION

  

2003 FACT SHEET

 

 

BEFA is a locally founded, locally operated charity with roots in the farming community and a strong commitment to the people of Norfolk.  It has a 17 year history of bringing good food from the people of Norfolk to the homeless.

 

BEFA’s mission is simply to help feed the homeless at Christmas, working through established shelters, supported accommodation projects, etc. and with other experienced agencies such as the Salvation Army which have daily contact with the homeless.

 

BEFA is a 100% volunteer organization.  There are no paid staff and administration costs are negligible.  Almost every penny donated goes to purchase food.

Local farmers donate most of the fresh produce – more than 20 pallets in 2002.

Food Wholesalers and Manufacturers donated another 20 pallets of foodstuffs, and many more during the course of the year too.

Norfolk school children donate sugar – over 4 tonnes in 2002. 

British Sugar matched (and has generously offered to match again in 2003) the “Silver Spoon” sugar donated by Norfolk schoolchildren in 2002, bringing the total amount of sugar collected and distributed to shelters since last Christmas to over 6 tonnes!

Norfolk families (and Schools) make donations of cash, which is used to purchase the necessary food items (like Turkeys and Christmas Puddings) which have not been donated.  In 2002 this amounted to just over£20,000.

Local volunteers donate time, office space, supplies, etc. 

Local businesses help with postage, copying, transportation and warehousing.

 

BEFA sends only the food that is needed.  Each homeless project is sent a shopping list of the Christmas foods BEFA can provide.  We ask them to mark the quantities of each food item they expect to need, and add a “wish list” which BEFA attempts to fulfill.   The lists are then collated and we at BEFA work to come up with the quantities of food needed. 

 

BEFA provided food for more than 3500 meals for the homeless of Norfolk during Christmas 2002.  In addition we sent a 40-foot Lorry to Manchester for various homeless projects in the northwest and one to Crisis in London.  Both of these lorries were filled to overflowing!

 

Although our main work happens at Christmas, we will happily be a conduit for donations of food or other useful items throughout the year.   This year we have been distributing donated breakfast cereals and canned goods throughout the year to local shelters and projects who work with the street-homeless of London.