MATT RODDA recently met with members of Reading Family Aid, a local community organisation whose focus is on helping children living with poverty and other disadvantages.

As they launch their ‘Toys and Teens Appeal 2017’, Matt took some time to speak with volunteers from the charity to discover more about their cause and the various initiatives they run to help children in need in the Reading area not just at Christmas but all year round.

The appeal collects and redistributes new or ‘as new’ toys suitable for children between the ages of 0-16 over the Christmas period and who are living in disadvantaged situations. All the families receiving toy parcels have been nominated by social workers and support organisations from across the Reading area, and toys are generously donated by individuals, businesses, schools, faith groups and more.

The appeal was so successful last year that the charity was able to deliver gifts to 1,350 disadvantaged children from over 600 families in the Reading area. They hope to do even better this year and extend their reach even further to those families in need.

Matt said of this year’s appeal:

“Reading is such an amazing and generous town and even in a time of severe financial need, we have fantastic communities and charities such as Reading Family Aid. The ‘Toys and Teens Appeal 2017’ is a wonderful idea, and reaches out to those families who have very little in order to help make things a little easier at Christmas. The efforts of charities such as Reading Family Aid should be welcomed, acknowledged and celebrated; its the efforts of groups such as this whose efforts really make the difference in these financially difficult times.”

Donation points for the appeal are located across the Reading area and can be found on Reading Family Aid’s website. Gifts will be accepted for donation up to Sunday 3 December 2017.

See here for details http://www.readingfamilyaid.org/donations.html

For more information about Reading Family Aid and the invaluable work the charity does by helping families and children in the Reading area, visit http://www.readingfamilyaid.org/