AS we eagerly anticipate our annual Christmas Appeal bucket collection in the lead-up to Celtic’s encounter with Dundee this afternoon, we take a closer look at the next charity in our spotlight series, Glasgow Night Shelter.
Operating since 2011, Glasgow Night Shelter represent a lifeline to refused asylum seekers who are not eligible for support and homeless non-EU migrants, who because of their immigration status, cannot access normal homeless services.
Staffed entirely by volunteers, the night shelter provides a hot meal and somewhere safe to stay for up to 15 men every night, 365 nights a year.
On the 2016 Christmas Appeal donation, Glasgow Night Shelter Co-ordinator, Phill Jones, said: “There cannot be many things worse than being a stranger in a foreign city, homeless, and not knowing where to go or how to get help.
“For 365 nights of the year, our team of volunteers provide a hot meal and somewhere safe for refugees who are unable to access normal homelessness services – and it’s all done without any funding from the government or local authority.
“The wonderful support of Celtic FC Foundation will go a long way to providing this vital, life-saving service. The money we receive will also go towards our drop-in service for destitute migrants, offering somewhere warm and welcoming for them to go on Christmas and New Year’s Day.”
Glasgow Night Shelter are just one of the groups we will be supporting through this year’s Christmas Appeal and those confirmed so far include Spirit Aid, The Elpis Centre, Loaves and Fishes, Glasgow City Mission, the Scottish Refugee Council, the Wayside Centre, Glasgow East Women’s Aid, The Invisibles and Simon Community Scotland.
In addition, we want to help over 300 local families facing poverty, to provide a meal on the table and gifts for the kids. We want to bring the magic of Christmas to those homes. We are also looking to help vulnerable local pensioners to ease the financial burden at a challenging time of year.
For the first time, we are proud to confirm a development of the Christmas Appeal in 2016 as we look to support charities in London, Newcastle, Dublin, Belfast, Oban, Greenock, Inverness, Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Fife and Ayrshire.
The generosity and compassion of the Celtic Family is unsurpassed, and Celtic FC Foundation is requesting your support once again for an initiative which proudly follows in the footsteps of Brother Walfrid, providing comfort to those who need it most.
So together, let’s raise more than the roof this Christmas. You can get behind the Appeal in the following ways:
1.Donate by Text – text ‘CELT07’ followed by ‘£1’, ‘£5’ or ‘£10’ to 70070
2.Donate Online – www.celticfcfoundation.com
3.Donate via Paypal – www.celticfcfoundation.com
4.Donate in Cash – there are collection boxes located in all Celtic Stores
5.Donate by Cheque – payable to ‘Celtic FC Foundation’ and sent to Celtic FC Foundation, Celtic Park, Glasgow, G40 3RE.
6.Support our matchday bucket collection today – we will have volunteer collectors at all turnstile areas so any donations would be greatly appreciated.
7.Give as you Live via your Christmas Shopping – www.celticfcfoundation.com
Thank you for your wonderful support.
