WITH eight beneficiaries already announced to date, Celtic FC Foundation’s Christmas Appeal spotlight series now looks at our penultimate partner, a charity working hard to keep the magic alive for children this festive season, Spirit Aid.

Each Christmas, Spirit Aid works with Glasgow and Central Scotland’s poor and vulnerable. Their Christmas Hamper Appeal delivers food sacks to families living in poverty, under local authority protection, or to people sleeping rough on Glasgow’s streets.

Spirit Aid’s Christmas hampers provide enough foodto feed a family of four for three days and last year, with the help of Celtic FC Foundation, the public and various other organisations based in Glasgow, they were able to distribute over 500 Christmas Hampers.

As well as this initiative, last year Spirit Aid distributed nearly 700 toys. The toys go to children, who truly suffer during Christmas, whether they are housed in protective units, live at home with a disabled parent, or in extreme poverty. The appeal ensures these kids feel the joy and majesty of Christmas, as every child should.

Spirit Aid was founded in 2008 by Glasgow actor and humanitarian, David Hayman. Speaking about the purpose of Spirit Aid and the urgent need for help, David said: “We’ve got just under 200,000 kids in Scotland living in poverty and just under four million in the United Kingdom.

“It means you don’t get a birthday, you don’t get a Christmas present, you don’t get taken to the movies to see Frozen, and you don’t get taken to a pantomime.

“It’s a poverty of life.These kids may not starve to death but what quality of life have they got? When they’ve got nothing to inspire their imagination, nothing to put a smile on their faces, I think that’s the greatest tragedy of all.”

For most of us, Christmas is a time of joy. It’s different for those facing poverty and hardship.

Through this year’s Appeal, we want to help around 200 local families provide a happy Christmas for their children.

We also want to support 10 charities who care for those experiencing homeless or other disadvantage, including Spirit Aid, Simon Community Scotland, Glasgow East Women’s Aid, Scottish Refugee Council, The Salvation Army, The Invisibles, Glasgow City Mission, The Wayside Club Centre and Loaves & Fishes.

But we can’t do this without you.

Please follow the Celtic Way to help us give back this Christmas.

Any support you provide this Christmas will help those who need it most and there are a number of ways to get behind the Christmas Appeal 2015:

– Donate by Text – text ‘CELT07’ followed by ‘£1’, ‘£5’ or ‘£10’ to 70070

– Donate Online – HERE

– Donate via Paypal – Click HEREand simply use our email address to donate: [email protected]Quote/Ref: CA2015

– Donate in Cash – there are collection boxes located in all Celtic Stores

– Donate by Cheque – payable to ‘Celtic FC Foundation’ and sent to Celtic FC Foundation, Celtic Park, Glasgow, G40 3RE.

– Take part in our Christmas Appeal Bucket Collection – HERE

– Take part in our Champion Challenge – HERE

– Come along to our Ghirls for Good ladies lunch on Saturday, December 12 –HERE

– Give as You Live via your Christmas shopping – HERE