A Partner (employee) from John Lewis Newcastle has designed a Christmas card for local charity The People’s Kitchen, which gives ‘friendship and food’ to homeless and disadvantaged people on Tyneside.
The design was created by Jackie Lant from High Heaton, who works in the visual merchandising team at John Lewis Newcastle, following a competition for Partners who work at the shop.
Jackie said: “We held a competition to come up with a design to help promote the important work of the charity at Christmas. I’ve made the card very simple but included the important message about giving friendship as well as food to the people who use the charity’s invaluable service all year round.”
The People’s Kitchen was formed in 1985 and has transformed thousands of disadvantaged people’s lives by providing them with friendship and food and filling a gap in the evenings when homeless people are at their most vulnerable.
For six days of the week, fifty two weeks of the year, more than 250 people are helped in many ways by the kind hearted volunteers at The People’s Kitchen and surprisingly, a large proportion of those helped are aged 25 or less. With factors such as a reduction in local government services and a lack of grants, demand on the People’s Kitchens’ resources are heavier than ever before so a helping hand from John Lewis Newcastle has been gratefully received.
John Lewis Newcastle has adopted the charity as its chosen charity for a two-year period and already the department store’s help has made a significant impact on the lives of many disadvantaged people in the city. Already, the store has supplied a team of chefs and helpers for the People’s Kitchen’s Christmas street party and donated a number of items to help raise much needed funds for the charity which receives no grants at all and relies totally on donations.
Maureen Hogg from The People’s Kitchen said: “It is always great to receive donations and every penny is spent making sure that our friends in Newcastle are well fed, warm and have someone to talk to throughout the year. Having John Lewis Partnership taking such a large interest in us will make a massive difference to the quality of life of hundreds of people and we are very grateful.”
Ends
Photo 1 shows Jackie Lant with the card she designed and Maureen Hogg.
