Last winter as the temperatures dropped and we noticed more and more people sleeping rough on the streets of Cambridge, we started thinking about a way to support Cambridge Street Aid, a local charity which helps homeless or vulnerably housed people in our city to find and sustain accommodation and employment.
We came up with the idea of selling tote bags and donating the profit of every bag to Cambridge Street Aid. Our cotton tote bags are extremely useful, environmentally friendly, very sturdy and on top of that they look great! Cambridge-based illustrator Katie Harnett created 3 beautiful designs for us and we’re happy to see they have been popular.
Our bags cost £3 to produce and retail at £5, which means for every bag that is sold we can give £2 to the charity. We have been selling our tote bags since December 2016 and we’re really pleased to announce that we have recently sold out our first order of 300 bags, so we have donated £600 to Cambridge Street Aid! So here’s a heartfelt thank you to everyone who’s bought one!
Cambridge Street Aid has responded to say they are delighted and touched by your kindness. Your addition to the Street Aid fund means they have raised almost £10,000. The money has been paid out in grants that have helped to change lives, including:
- For a bicycle to help a formerly homeless man travel to a new job;
- To pay for a suit and shoes for someone starting a round of job interviews;
- Towards sports gear for people wishing to put an unhealthy street-based life behind them;
- To enable someone to obtain a construction certificate so they can work on building sites;
- For household equipment to give someone a fresh start in a new tenancy;
- To enable someone to purchase a passport to help them visit their estranged family
Once again a huge thank you for your support! We have started selling from our second order of tote bags now and we hope to be able to make another donation in about six months’ time. We also have Cambridge Street Aid’s poster and flyers on display in the gallery with details on how to donate, so we’re hoping this has inspired some of you to make a contribution directly to this worthwhile cause. Please visit https://www.cambscf.org.uk/ to learn more.