Acts 435, the Archbishop of York’s online giving charity, today announced that its 5,000th request has been granted.
The charity puts the increase in donations down to a #anothergift campaign it ran over Christmas, inviting churches, schools and community groups to stretch their budgets to buy ‘one more gift’, for someone in need. Acts435 encouraged support for people in desperate need of items such as a cooker, emergency repair work or help with food or clothing.
Jenny Herrera, Acts 435 Executive Director said: “I have been overwhelmed and humbled by the generosity of Acts 435 donors and delighted that we have been able to help people in need. To be able to meet our 5000th request is a wonderful gift for us as a charity and I would like to say a huge thank you to those who have helped to make a difference for others through us. Thank you”.
The Archbishop of York said: “Lent gives us a wonderful opportunity to show God’s love in action. The remarkable thing is – in meeting other people’s basic human needs we ourselves are blessed – for we meet Jesus in others, and that changes the way we see things. In fact it changes the way we see others too! It’s fantastic that Acts 435 is helping individuals to do just that”.
The benefits to those helped go far beyond just the physical gift received as this example illustrates:
The Value of a Hot Meal
Thank you to those who kindly donated towards the purchase of a set of pans for Alison and her family. Sometimes, when an individual is facing hardship and difficulty at every turn, the smallest victories help. Alison is still in receipt of sustained assistance from our organisation for an ongoing crisis.
She came into our office the other day with a smile on her face. 'Last night' she began, 'I was able to heat the house, and make a home cooked meal which me and the boys sat down to enjoy. Using the new pans not only enabled a decent hot meal, but brought to mind the kindness of strangers who have never met me, and yet through their gift, I realised that people care and I'm not facing the world on my own'.
For more information about #anothergift or Acts435, please visit: http://acts435.org.uk/