#continuetocarepledge

Like many people, I cried daily last week watching the news coming out of Ukraine.

I felt a bit of happiness as I packed up things to donate from home, imagining a little girl taking some joy from wearing one of my toddler’s almost new pink jumper dresses with sparkles on, on what will be otherwise grey and gloomy days. I also took some comfort from collecting in donations from my colleagues – a car full of beautiful, mainly new things, and monetary donations too, and felt a sense of ‘at least I’ve done something’ as I dropped them off at one of the many donation points. ???

Then, on leaving the donation point, I stopped at M&S and spent around ￡7 on a salad box and some salmon, despite having food in at home. As I drove home I thought, I could have donated that ￡7. I don’t really need an M&S salad. Over the next week, I had similar experiences, frittering away ￡3 here and there on a coffee, some wine, and other luxuries which my salary affords.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t fritter away everything. I donate monthly to several domestic and international charities and take on at least one charity challenge a year. But I never feel as though I am truly giving, not at the expense of other luxuries.

I also am guilty of forgetting – in September 2021 I packed up an equally large bag of clothes to donate to Afghan refugees, but have I really, truly, spent time thinking about those individuals since and what they may need now, 9 months on? In all honesty, I haven’t.

So here it is, a public pledge to continue to care, not to forget, to replace guilt and inaction with action, to let go off some luxuries and redirect at least ￡3 per week to the Disaster Emergency Committee. As most of you will know, the DEC bring together 15 leading aid charities to raise funds quickly and efficiently at times of crisis overseas.? I also commit, at the end of every month, to look around me at what I have at home and to give what we don’t regularly use or need.

If you are with me, I would love you to share this, make the pledge too, and see what we can get going and how much, between us, we can let go and give. ?

#continuetocare #pledge #refugees #charity