Salix Homes spreads festive cheer with donations and support for local charities

Employees at Salix Homes have been spreading some festive cheer to people in need this Christmas.

We have organised a series of collections and activities to support various charities and good causes over the festive period.

We donated £3,200 to Salford Foodbank – a £10 contribution on behalf of each of our 320 employees – after colleagues were invited to vote for a charity to support in their name, with Salford Foodbank receiving the most votes.

Employees also donated food items to Salford Foodbank, totalling 43.65kg, and St Thomas’s Family Food Fayre, which provides access to low-cost food parcels for people in need across Salford. In addition, Salix Homes officers arranged a collection for the Food Fayre at Co-op Academy Swinton.

Several members of staff also generously volunteered their time to help out at Salford Foodbank’s warehouse, which is based at MediaCityUK.

Emma Rapley, Salford Foodbank Manager, said: “We’d like to say a big thank you to the team at Salix Homes for their recent Christmas support – offering Salford Foodbank three vital things – time, money and food.

“A team of volunteers joined us in the warehouse to help sort Christmas food donations and pack food parcels, but not only did they offer their time – they also brought a cheque for £3,200. This generous gift will go towards bulk buying food which we now have to do monthly to ensure all our food parcels are filled and we can continue to support anyone facing food poverty across Salford.

“Salix Homes is also one of our referral partners enabling their officers to issue foodbank vouchers to any customers who need additional support.”

Meanwhile, Salix Homes teams have collected toys and gifts for Wood Street Mission’s annual Christmas appeal, helping to ensure that children and families in need across Salford and Greater Manchester receive a present this Christmas.

The toy appeal was given a boost by Salix Homes Finance Officer Janet Browne who bakes cakes for her colleagues every week, in exchange for a small donation to her charity tin. Every year, Janet uses the proceeds to buy hundreds of pounds worth of toys and gifts for charity, and this year has split the donations between Salford Foodbank, Wood Street Mission and St Thomas’ Food Fayre.

A clothes collection was also done for the Working Wardrobe project, which provides suitable interview outfits and workwear, as well as employability support, for people across Greater Manchester who are struggling financially or have identified a lack of appropriate clothing as a barrier to securing employment.

Sue Sutton, Chief Executive at Salix Homes, said: “I’m incredibly proud of our teams for coming together to support these fantastic charities and initiatives – this is a true reflection of the caring spirit we value at Salix Homes.

“The festive period can be a difficult time for many people, so the generosity and kindness shown by our employees – whether through donations, volunteering their time, or fundraising – will make a real difference to people across Salford and Greater Manchester who are facing challenging times.”