There's no place like home

Salam, I'm Melika, and I'm lucky enough to be studying psychology at a uni I love, with a roof over my head, and warm clothes on my body. But not everyone's that lucky. 

So many times, I'm walking in town, going shopping, enjoying myself, and then I see someone else... Same place, same time, except instead of going about their daily life, they're sitting on the streets, shivering, with a pleading look in their eye, as people walk by and completely ignore them. While I try to give what I can, my loose change isn't going to make that much of a difference. That's where you come in!

Shoeboxes for the Homeless uses your donations to buy things like warm clothes, to give alongside a shoebox filled with essential items such as toiletries, toothpaste, cold medicine, as well as some luxuries and entertaining things, like books, or chocolate. Also, we provide feminine hygiene products, as for homeless women, getting their period can be putting their life at risk every month as they don't have access to the necessary sanitation to prevent serious infection. It may not sound like much, but a box full of these things could really help make a homeless person's time a bit easier. It's so common for people to just dehumanise them, ignore them, treat them like they don't exist, but we're all humans.

We've already had two successful campaigns, and hope to have many more in the future. For the first one, we handed bags of clothes to the people of Southampton, where we met a truly lovely couple called Claire and Dean, who were really friendly and chatty. The second campaign focused on towns in our local area - Hounslow, Feltham, and Watford. One man that particularly stayed in my mind was an incredibly intelligent guy who wishes to remain anonymous. When we found him, he was reading a book, and looked up politely and was incredibly grateful for the care package we gave him. He told us about his old job as a prop director, and explained that life has its ups and downs, and he was in a slump at the moment, but that he held on to hope that things would get better again. These encounters were a harsh reminder of how this situation can happen to anyone. 

You can make a real difference

Homeless people have so many things to worry about that the rest of us take for granted. They have next to nothing, and they rely on donations for their income, which means often their main priority is just getting some food to keep them alive from day to day. Because of this, often they have to forego buying things like medicine, or toiletries, which leaves them vulnerable to getting ill. In our shoeboxes we'll provide items to help make their lives easier, which could keep them safe, and avoid them having to worry about getting ill, on top of everything else.

As well as this, because they don't have a home, they often don't have a safe space to store their few belongings, and are vulnerable to theft, so by us doing the shopping for them, and collecting everything in one convenient box, it makes things that bit easier for them.

It's not a substitute for a home, but at least it can make life on the streets a bit less dire for them, and hopefully make them smile, and remind them that there's still hope.

We also hope that with this project, people will be able to see the true meaning of Islam. There's so much negative media around Muslims these days, and hopefully if people see the compassion and charitable nature of true Muslims, it will help fight the growing mistrust of Islam in the Western world. We want peace for everyone, and we want people to see that Islam encourages peace :)

The Project

100% of the funds raised from this project will go directly towards buying clothes and products (we're volunteering our time, and covering the fuel costs ourselves). We will find the best deals, and make sure to provide quality items to the homeless people, without spending the donated money on inflated prices.

Rest assured that when you donate to this project, the money will go towards those who need it.

How You Can Help

As well as just raising money towards the campaign, this project also aims to raise awareness of the plight of homeless people. We encourage you to try and set up something similar with your friends and family, maybe donating unwanted clothes to the homeless people you see in your area. 

We want to decrease the stigma surrounding homeless people, and remind everyone to treat them like human beings, don't just ignore them when you see them. Even if you don't have any change to give, just a simple smile could brighten up their day.

Also, if you can't donate, please share this project, because maybe somebody you know can :)