SHARE – 29th April 2019 – Flint and Holywell Rotary

Club members received an address on the work of SHARE from Ann Jones, a volunteer at the Mold Branch of the charity.

Founded on 3 October 2015

SHARE’S aims are simple – we support families in crisis and people who are homeless in North Wales and Cheshire and we assist refugees fleeing for their lives, wherever they are in the world.

In September 2015, the harrowing photograph of the tiny body of three-year-old Alyun Kurdi, washed up on a beach in the Mediterranean, spurred four local mums from the Mold area to ‘do something’ to make a difference to people fleeing for their lives from war torn Syria and Iraq. They joined forces with a Chester based businessman and it was then that SHARE was born. Within weeks they were joined by like-minded businesses, schools, churches and other organisations and inundated with donations that were promptly sorted and sent where needed. In January 2016 the SHARE Shop in Chester was opened.

In Mold, SHARE volunteers receive, sort, pack and distribute all donations of clothing, footwear and other essential equipment, currently required by the refugee camps in Europe and further afield. We coordinate our efforts with other refugee support organisations in the UK and abroad, to ensure that the right items are provided at the right time and to the right place. We also work with local agencies in North Wales, supporting families in crisis, by supplying them with basic household essentials, donated furniture, clothing, toys and baby/children’s items.

In Chester, SHARE volunteers help to raise valuable funds for the charity in the SHARE Shop, by selling donations received that are not suitable for refugees or local homeless people. These items are still valuable to us, as all funds raised are then split equally between our refugee and homeless projects. Twice a week, our SHARE Van provides a valuable outreach services to those living rough on the streets of Chester. Loaded up with hot drinks, food, sleeping bags and warm clothing, our aim is to give some comfort to those who simply have no place of their own to call home.

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Occasionally we get a direct appeal from one of the many refugee camps that Share send aid to, because they have almost completely run out of certain items. The refugee aid agencies on the Greek Island of Lesvos are in desperate need of children’s shorts and trousers. If you have any that you could donate we would be very grateful for them, and we can get them to Lesvos as soon as possible. You can drop them at Share Mold or Share Shop Chester. You can also make a cash donation using the link below to help us to fund the shipping of these items to Lesvos. Thank you for helping us make a difference.

FROM THE FACEBOOK PAGES:

Then to Shares vital support of refugees everywhere. To live in a country that is so dangerous the only option is to flee by any means, in the hope of making it safely to somewhere where people will open their door & heart & offer support in helping rebuild lives.’

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Welcome to a brand new concept of charity shop! WELCOME TO SHARE SHOP CHESTER!

The idea is to create a modern, trendy charity / coffee shop that appeals to all ages, where you can buy a quality cup of coffee for yourself and one for a homeless person if you wish to. This coffee will be ‘suspended’ on our blackboard until a homeless person comes in who can claim it. #SuspendedCoffee

At least half of the profits from the shop will go directly towards the purchase of a local derelict house in the city itself, so that people who are sleeping rough on the streets locally can be rehoused and furthermore supported back into work.

The other half of the shops profits are used to send much needed clothes, food, medical equipment & toiletries to those without homes around the World, including to Syria and the Greek Islands trying to cope with the refugee crises.

The other difference is that the share shop itself and the overall charity is run on a shoestring so to speak! We don’t want to spent any money on unnecessary overheads admin or wages. We want as much of the donations or revenue from our shop to go to help those in need.

Our very 1st Share Shop will open at 12 noon on Sat 16th of Jan, directly opposite the old Odeon Cinema on Northgate St in Chester and we’d love to see you!

YOU can help Share by donating quality items that can be sold in the shop such as good quality clothes, hats, handbags, shoes etc… or by sending your CV to adam@shareaid.co.uk if you’d like to volunteer to work one or more days per week. Please comment below to tell us what you think of the idea and please help us spread the word by ‘Sharing’ this post if you wouldn’t mind.

You can also help by fundraising for Share, asking your group or workplace to donate, or helping sort & pack aid ready to be sent abroad at our new Share Centre at the old Library building in Mold, North Wales.
PLEASE ‘LIKE’ OUR ‘SHARE SHOP CHESTER’ FB PAGE https://www.facebook.com/ShareShopChester/ AND STAY IN TOUCH OR FOLLOW US ON TWITTER https://twitter.com/shareshopsuk

President Dave Roberts & Ann Jones