Sainsbury's Durham North Road Local

I am a support worker for Changing Lives and we house 51 males who are homeless, have money issues, substance misuse issues, and housing issues. We support these men daily and our aim is to move them on in to their own property. We believe that everyone deserves a safe home, a rewarding job and a life free from addiction or abuse. We also believe that, given the right support, anyone can change their life for the better. By focusing on someone’s strengths, potential and opportunities, we help around 14,000 people overcome their problems and live safe, successful, independent lives each year.

We are a group of friendly volunteers in Great Lumley that provide food hampers to local residents to get them through a few days if they are struggling to make ends meet, isolating or in need of help. We also have a Community Table and Community Fridge where local people can pop in and take donations from local shops and businesses that would otherwise go to landfill. Everything we do is free of charge or on a pay-as-you-feel basis. Any donations we do receive are used to buy stock items for our hampers. We run out of Great Lumley Methodist Church alongside Heaven's Kitchen which provides a lunch project where we provide home-cooked, three course lunches each Tuesday - also on a pay-as-you-feel basis. During the recent lockdown we provided over 9000 meals to the elderly and vulnerable in the community. We are always happy to receive donations of any kind and will ensure that it is distributed to help our community.

- General charitable purposes - The prevention or relief of poverty - Accommodation/housing - Other defined groups - Provides services - Homeless accommodation project serving and providing our residents with the support they need, ranging from food, health, housing, work and relationships. - We are reliant on donations to provide our residents with food and clothes. - Any donations we receive is given out to our residents on a morning for breakfast and throughout the day, food items are also crucial for us to teach cooking and helps allow for this, Clothes are also immediately donated to those who need them. - We have 51 homeless males living in our accommodation project who all have extra support needs.