Local charity, KDARS (Kidney Disease and Renal Support), received £1,122 funding from the Care Plus Group Charitable Trust to develop their beneficial Pitstop in the Park project, that offers free lunches to families in need across Grimsby and Cleethorpes.
During lockdown, Steve and Heather from KDARS noticed the affect lockdown had had on local families. Many struggled to make ends meet and provide meals for their children.
In October 2020, they took it upon themselves to provide food to those that needed it. Using money out of their own pockets, they provided hotdogs and lunchboxes, serving over 18,000 lunches. The lunchboxes contained fruit, a drink, a chocolate bar and crisps.
Then in January 2021, the We Are One Foundation contributed to this by supplying food towards this cause.
With the success of this project, Heather noticed a need to develop the facilities and work towards creating a safe environment for local families to eat and enjoy outdoor activities.
With funding from the Care Plus Group Charitable Trust, this fantastic idea can become a reality. The grant will go towards refurbishing and upgrading the kitchen facilities, acquiring outside seating arrangements and getting the necessary outdoor games equipment.
Upon receiving the funding, Heather, the project lead said: “My first reaction was ‘wow, I wasn’t expecting that!’ This is a project we have been doing for years and we were never doing it for the money, it’s always been about the community.
“We’ve had a lot of help along the way, but now we are absolutely blown away by the possibilities with this grant. We love giving back to our community and I’d like to share some highlights I’ve had from our suggestion box. One said, ‘Heather and Steve, keep doing what you’re doing, you’re just fab’ and another said, ‘Give Heather a Knighthood!’”
Nikki Cook, Trustee for Care Plus Group Charitable Trust, said: “Using a neighbourhood watch app to promote the work of the charity, I'd added a post to see if anyone met the qualifying criteria to receive a grant. There were several suggestions for KDARS Pitstop, so I went to visit them to see if there was anything the charity could support them with.
"As well as the great work they have been doing during lockdowns by providing food to under privileged children, the Pitstop is used as a youth club in the summer giving local children somewhere to play with a sense of security.
“Upon meeting Heather and Steve and having a chat about what they do for the community, I could easily see how they'd qualify for a grant from the charity. The only thing they asked for was some equipment for the children, so they could play on the park. I supported them in putting the application together and identified other areas to help improve the incredible service they are already providing, such as joinery works for the kitchen and serving counter using a local contractor.
“I am delighted the funding will help Heather and Steve to provide support for people across the area"
Since its inception, the Care Plus Group Charitable Trust has provided more than £94,000 to over 90 community projects across North East Lincolnshire.
Explore how the Charitable Trust could support your health and wellbeing project to improve the lives of others across Lincolnshire at https://www.cpgcharitabletrust.org/who-we-support
Check out our interview with Heather Davis from KDARS here: https://www.cpgcharitabletrust.org/post/interview-with-heather-davis-from-local-charity-kdars
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