Please be mindful that this isn’t the time to cash in or stockpile and sell on. Let’s help our community thrive during this time.
Shop with others in mind
Firstly, support your independents where possible. You can find a link to all those Harrogate businesses doing their bit for our town here: Supporting Harrogate Businesses
Secondly, if you drive don’t use your local Tesco, Sainsbury’s or Coop. Too often I have seen people who cannot drive or are elderly visit these shops to find nothing on the shelves. Please let them use these and you use the large supermarkets
Don’t panic buy, the country has enough food.
Harrogate Food Bank
There is an enormous amount of pressure on our food banks to support people and families. As yet we’ve not hit our peak and we’ve not yet gone into lockdown so if you are shopping please pick up a few items for the food banks. You can drop your food and toiletries to Waitrose in the centre of town or just off Westmoreland Street.
Women’s Refuge Support
Women and children at the refuge have become completely cut off from other donations and are in desperate need of essentials and food. If you are able to give items to boost up their pantries, toiletries, and medicine cabinet essentials that would be amazing. Nappies in sizes 3, 5, and 6 are also desperately needed.Fresh food is the greatest struggle.
Laura Hellfeld says, “Even when I get a monetary donation to shop on their behalf, the quantity limits create quite a challenge. Handing over 2 bags of apples and 2 tins of food for 12 women and 20 kids just isn’t cutting it. Due to the nature of needing to keep the refuge’s location private, I am only able to be the point person and then do the drop off. Right now I am dropping off donations at least once a day, if not more. I also have a neighbour helping with keeping items cold/frozen so we are at the ready for more donations.If you are able to supply any of the above, we would be so grateful. the plea for food will be ongoing throughout all of this. Thank you for reading and your time x PS. I do accept clothes, accessories, shoes, toys, and books to bring. Just no mens items please.”
Please message her here for details of where to drop items.
Donate to Harrogate NHS
The Harrogate Hospital and Community Charity raise funds for all departments and services at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust to do more for patients and their families. They are based at the hospital and have accepted some wonderful donations so far for the NHS workers. If anyone would like to donate anything to the NHS staff please email directly: hdft.hhcc@nhs.net
Show you care
Simply write on a piece of card your name, telephone number and how you might be able to help your neighbour i.e. with their shopping, running errands or just having a regular chat over the phone, even if it’s just your next-door neighbour.
Let’s keep Harrogate thriving
There’s going to be parts of Harrogate which are impacted more by the virus than others and many will turn to us with emergency appeals. If you can help either through a donation or other please do so. The places needing our help are:
- Harrogate Theatre – The theatre announced to day they are going to need our support more than ever. #HTEmergencyAppeal
Become pen pals
Lisa at The Granby, which is situated on The Stray has thought of a wonderful way for the younger members of our community to connect with the older generations.
To help The Granby residents stay cheery and connected, Lisa and her team would like to invite you, your pupils or anyone you know in the community to be a Brighterkind Postcard Pal!
They are encouraging you to send drawings and postcards to the care home to share with residents at the home. It could be a drawing or little message, something about your hobby, interest, favourite food, pets, animals, travels – almost anything goes.
In the coming weeks The Granby aim to share photos of its residents with schools and our community contacts so that you can see the happiness the postcards and drawings bring.
Just send drawings and postcards to:
The Granby Care Home
Granby Road
Harrogate
HG1 4SR
For schools – please advise children to include their school name. They can include a first name (if you feel this is appropriate) but not their full name please.
I hope you’ve found this useful and easy to read as it’s all in one place. Please do share this post as much as you can and comment below if you want me to add anything. Sending much love and #viralkindness
Let’s keep talking!
