Local-based charity, New Beginnings has been chosen by AWE staff as worthy recipients of a £5,000 donation. New Beginnings is a charity focused on the prevention and relief of poverty and financial hardship of persons in Reading and the Greater Berkshire area.
Each year AWE staff can nominate local charities or good causes close to their heart. A shortlist of the nominations is then drawn up with all AWE staff able to vote for which charitable cause should receive a £5,000 donation from AWE’s Charity Fund.
New Beginnings is a relatively new charity that helps those who are homeless or in need. Volunteers transformed a pub in Reading so it could be used for a number of services, including an all-night café, a night shelter for the homeless, a community fridge for distributing free food to those in need and after school café offering meals, clothing and support for parents and children.
AWE’s Charity Fund secretary, Michele Maidment, said: “This year we asked staff to consider local community programmes that are looking for support for specific projects or events. New Beginnings Reading have been providing some essential services to the community and we’re pleased that this donation will benefit those facing challenging times.”
Grace Gomez, founder and chair of New Beginnings Reading, said: “We are delighted to be the winning recipients of the £5,000 donation! We would like to thank everyone who voted for us. The funding will help us to continue to support the most vulnerable and those experiencing poverty, homelessness and hardship.”
“The start of the year has seen a rise in demand, with our food bank providing provisions to nearly 3,000 people. In addition, our weekly clothing and toiletries services have seen a steady increase in service users as well. We will continue to serve our community through the pandemic and beyond.”
Some of the charity’s services have been on hold during the pandemic but more recently it has launched a new service. Aimed at families and the elderly this new offering combines both clothing and toiletries services and the community fridge food bank providing baby products and food items to those who need it.