What an amazing way to start the day.
The Cottage Family Centre has received the outstanding news that the Robertson Trust (https://twitter.com/RobertsonTrust) has awarded £100,000.00 to their new project- the Big Hoose Project which has seen multi million pounds worth of household goods from retailers such as Amazon UK, Fishers and the Paint Shed being distributed to children and families living in poverty across Fife.
The Big Hoose Fife Project works in partnership with around 500 charities and organisations including Nourish Support Centre , Fife Gingerbread , Fife Woman’s Aid, foodbanks and pantries as well as social workers, health visitors , schools , nurseries, housing officers, community teams across Fife who support children and families experiencing hardship.
This allows access through a referral process, to items such as bedding, kitchen items, towels, toilet roll, nappies , toiletries, rugs , clothing , footwear , baby items , sanitary products and other household furnishings and goods to be distributed to those who need them most.
Pauline Buchan, Strategic Manager at the Cottage Family Centre said ‘The support of the Robertson Trust is absolutely key to the success of this new early intervention project in allowing us to employ the vital staff we need to ensure we can get the goods that families need to them in their time of need. Given the continued rise in living costs, this project has become a literal life line to so many, with over 30,000 families being supported in the last 7 months alone'.
We hope with the support of the Robertson Trust we can really move this project forward for families across Fife to bring further support and opportunities with our cross sector partners that will make a real lasting difference to their lives’.
Jim McCormick, CEO of The Robertson Trust, said: “Through our focus on financial security, we are committed to funding partners to reduce the costs of essentials for families in hardship. With the withdrawal of lifeline support through Universal Credit and the failure to uprate social security in line with inflation, poverty is deepening. The cost-of-living crisis seen in energy and food prices is set to worsen in the autumn. There is an urgent need for new, practical approaches and partnerships.
“The Big Hoose Project has already made a difference to many thousands of people in Fife. By contributing to the running costs of this pilot and an independent evaluation, we will learn how families in need can access not only the essential items to see them through the crisis, but the high-quality financial, emotional and employment support that will help to boost their prospects.
“We look forward to seeing how the project develops in the year ahead and we will use the learning to good effect, informing our own work as an independent funder.”
