An appeal to send poverty packing in County Durham, which is being backed by the Northern Echo’s Put in a Pound campaign, has raised more than half a million pounds.
The Poverty Hurts Appeal, launched by the County Durham Community Foundation (CDCF) in November, has been flooded with donations and is now more than half way to its £1m fundraising target.
Prompted by the cost-of-living crisis, and rising child poverty levels in the county and the region, the appeal has encouraged the county to rally around and look after those hit the hardest by supporting small charities doing amazing work in their communities.
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Grants made since September have helped more than 28,000 people in need, aged from zero to ninety.
Backing the Poverty Hurts appeal, The Northern Echo’s Put in a Pound campaign was launched last month to help put an end to poverty in our region.
Thanks to our readers’ generosity the campaign has now raised £3,200 will make a huge difference to the work of the County Durham Community Foundation (CDCF) and its Poverty Hurts appeal.
Speaking on hitting the £500k milestone, CDCF Chief Executive Michelle Cooper MBE said: “It’s such a mix of emotions for our small team.
“On one hand we are just so crushed that such an appeal is even needed: on the other, the tidal wave of support confirms every day how kind people are and how much they want to look after each other.
“We are now striving for that one million mark, because we owe it to our communities. The more we can care for people right now, the brighter the future of this incredible county.
“As is often the case, those who can least cope with this are hit the hardest. We have heard some incredibly sad stories of people who simply do not have anything left to cut out of their budget.”
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The Northern Echo is asking readers to ‘put in a pound’ this winter to support charities facing unprecedented demand as the cost-of-living crisis continues to hit hard.
And the money raised so far will be matched with 50p for every pound donated, thanks to the generosity of CDCF’s existing supporters, meaning every pound donated is worth £1.50 to great local causes in Durham, Darlington and the Tees Valley, and the work of the Foundation.
Almost two in five (38%) of children in the North East now live below the poverty line, with forecasts suggesting 55% of UK households will be in fuel poverty by January.
Almost 32,000 local children and young people are being hurt by poverty in and around County Durham.
By donating just £1 you will be supporting families choosing between heating and eating, older people at risk of dying in cold homes, children without warm clothes, and many more.
You can donate just £1*, or more if you can afford it, through The Northern Echo’s 'Poverty Hurts' fundraising page by CLICKING HERE or scanning the QR code.
*A small amount from each donation is taken as a processing fee by County Durham Community Foundation's trusted giving platform 'enthuse'.
For example, if you donate £20 plus £5 Gift Aid, 83p will be taken as a processing fee. Due to the Foundation matching donations, your final donation would be £34.17.
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