JTP supporting those in need at Christmas
< View all news

JTP supporting those in need at Christmas

Published on 12 December 2018

On Tuesday 11 December two JTP employees, Natalie Limbrey and Emma Chung, attended the Romford Salvation Army to support their Christmas dinner event for the homeless and those in need.

Their first-hand report from the day is as follows.

On Tuesday afternoon Emma Chung and I were lucky enough to be chosen to volunteer at The Salvation Army’s Christmas Dinner for the homeless. It was a really great afternoon and a real eye-opener to some of the issues facing people who are in some level of crisis. We got involved serving the Christmas food, helping in the kitchen and sitting with various members of the community just talking and listening.

I sat with a man called Clive for most of the afternoon and it was just so relaxed and easy to chat with him. He left full of food with a big smile on his face, which is all you can hope for really! He told me his history and we talked at length about his family and his plan to focus positively on the future. He seemed genuinely appreciative to have a conversation with someone who would listen and when you strip it all down, that is what it’s all about.

Emma got really involved in a fantastic chat with a group of younger guests, whom, in her words, came to escape and just have a good time with their friends, and that was very apparent from the sound of laughter filling the room.

It was an incredibly humbling experience hearing some truly awful life stories, and yet everyone was in such high spirits enjoying an afternoon of good food and company. We even heard from the sous-chef who told his story of being sectioned after suffering from PTSD following service in the army and the level of support from everyone in the room was overwhelmingly powerful.

The whole afternoon was about supporting Salvation Army and after talking to the Salvation Officer, I was blown away with how their services really do make a difference to get people off the streets long term. The whole meal was funded from donations from the public, so I can’t express enough how important it is to keep those coming. The regular workers were so appreciative of our help, but it’s them that we should be thankful for, doing such genuinely life changing work every day. 

For anyone wishing to make a donation, please follow this link:

https://www.salvationarmy.org.uk/