Julia and Hans Rausing donate £5.25 million in Christmas giving campaign focused on alleviating financial hardship
Julia and Hans Rausing donate £5.25 million in Christmas giving campaign focused on alleviating financial hardship, homelessness and loneliness
Philanthropists Julia and Hans Rausing have announced grants of £5.25 million as part of their annual seasonal Christmas giving. The grants this year are being given to charities helping individuals with the ongoing cost of living crisis, homelessness, as well as those living alone.
In total 49 charities will receive donations across the UK with local charities selected in east Cheshire, Gloucestershire and London.
The largest grant of £3.5 million is being donated to The Trussell Trust’s nationwide food bank crisis response campaign. This follows the support Julia and Hans Rausing gave to the Trussell Trust in 2022 as part of the couple’s emergency foodbank appeal.
The Trussell Trust has said that it is anticipating the toughest winter yet with food banks forecast to be used by 600,000 people between December and February, which will be the highest level of need ever recorded. The sharp increase in need is part of a longer-term pattern driven by more people being unable to afford the essentials, leading to almost three million emergency food parcels being distributed between April 2022 and March 2023, a 37% increase on the previous year. The cost of living crisis has been prolonged with overall food prices 10% higher than a year ago.
Other charities being supported include:
Glass Door: The homelessness charity will use £400,000 over two years to fund the shortfall for its emergency winter accommodation in West London, offering a safe place to sleep and a hot evening meal and breakfast for up to 105 guests each night.
Gloucestershire Community Foundation: £30,000 has been pledged to its ‘Poverty Hurts’ appeal, providing food, clothing and other essential items to the most deprived communities in Gloucestershire.
Re-Engage: The national charity is running a ‘Christmas Call’ companion project, offering isolated older people a dedicated telephone befriending service throughout December to help tackle the loneliness that is felt at Christmas time.
This is the fifth year of Julia and Hans Rausing’s Christmas giving campaign, and the £5.25 million donated is more than double last year’s total, which was previously the largest on record. The donations are part of a continuing effort to support charities helping people through the ongoing cost of living crisis.
Julia and Hans Rausing said “Christmas is a time for giving, and it is clear from our conversations with charities across the UK that many people are going to find this year exceptionally difficult. The cost of living crisis over the past 12 months has left more people in need of support while charities have fewer resources to provide help. The charities we are supporting this year are all making a significant difference to those in need, bringing some seasonal cheer to people facing a challenging winter. We encourage others who have the means, to give generously to charities delivering excellent work across the UK this festive period.”
Emma Revie, CEO at the Trussell Trust, said: “Food banks in our network are facing their most challenging winter yet, expecting to provide more than a million emergency food parcels over the next three months which equates to a parcel every 8 seconds. As we see more people experiencing hardship and needing to access a food bank, many for the first time, we’re extremely grateful to Julia and Hans Rausing for their generous support.
This remarkable grant will help ensure that our network of food banks can continue to provide much-needed support in their communities, as we continue to work towards a future where everyone can afford the essentials.”
Please click the following link to view the full list of charities supported.
