The Rucksack Project

Ok, so I mentioned before about my desire to go shopping and buy pretty things… if not, trust me… it’s what’s on my mind constantly and being very poor it just isn’t the way forward!

 

I have however decided to get involved with the Rucksack project, which in my mind is just bluddy excellent, which I mentioned briefly in a previous post…http://www.mrssammyb13.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/charidee-at-christmas.html  

 

Here is a bit more about them, their website and some info as to why they started… 

 

http://www.rucksackproject.org/

 

THE HISTORY OF THE PROJECT
I Founded in November, 2009 in Bristol, (UK). It was born out of a desire to simply help a homeless person who was sleeping rough during the freezing winter months. One bitterly cold late November day, I was wandering around the centre of Bristol with the last £12 in my pocket, joining the crowds of Christmas shoppers in their trawl for the usual perfunctory gifts, when I stepped up out of an underpass and my eyes drew level with a cold looking homeless man looking lost among the legs of the well-dressed, warm people in their designer labelled clothes and carrying smart paper store bags walking blindly past them. This stark contrast really struck me given that it was 'the season of good will' and yet, these lost souls were ignored while people went about their shopping.

I'd often popped into a store and picked up a bag of food items and given them to someone in the past, but i wanted to do more. Like many people, I'd often thought about doing the Christmas soup kitchen thing, but had never taken that step and then it struck me what I could do.

I went to my local YMCA charity shop and explained that I wanted to get a rucksack and put in it a sleeping bag, a fleece, a hat, gloves, socks, underwear, a flask that I filled with hot soup, a spoon, some tins of food (with ring pulls) and anything else I could fit in it...

They were amazing and they gave me two full sets for just £6 because they appreciated what I wanted to do. £4 for soup in the supermarket filled both flasks with soup and an extra tin.

A lovely lady who happened to be in the shop overheard us and asked me to pick-out some extra clothes to put in.. They charged her just £5 for 4 fleece tops... Buy these items in various charity shops supports not only the homeless people receiving them, but also the great many charities out there raising funds for so many different causes.

I added some extra food from my cupboard then took them into Bristol where I gave them to 'Steve' and his friends who were sleeping rough.

Words cant express how grateful they were and that is the best damn present I could have given anyone that Christmas.

As a web/graphics designer and big Facebook user, I came home that afternoon feeling good but knowing I'd still only helped one person, which somehow felt a little unfair when there were still so many people out there who needed the same help and so, I decided not to be quiet about what I'd done, but instead set-up a page on Facebook, created a simple logo and header and called it "The Rucksack project…

I only did this to try and encourage a few friends and family to do what I had done.. i thought maybe we could get ten or fifteen packs out there in Bristol, but I had no idea what was about to happen.

Within a few weeks, it had spread to 80 people and I was thrilled to think a few more packs had gone out. Inevitably, the new year came bringing milder weather and it all went quiet again until the late autumn 2010. Over that winter, the numbers swelled to just over 400 Likes on the page and, by the time the following winter ended, the page had some 1,200 Likes and was starting to get interest all over the place.

In December 2012, to aid the project, I decided to make a video to show people what we were all about and called out on the page for a volunteer. That's how I met Amy Little. We shot the film over a couple of days and I got it edited and online just before Christmas 2012 and that helped the project get up to around 1250 Likes by the end of that winter.

Winter 2013 was when it really took off and, with only a gentle nudge on the Facebook page, it suddenly went crazy, gaining 250 new Likes a day at one stage and, within a month, we'd more than doubled the followers to 2,750! The media started taking an interest and I was being asked for interviews on radio stations across the country.

 

There is lots more info on the website and they have a facebook page too.  This somehow makes me feel more involved and actually doing something for charity, rather than chucking a few quid somewhere, which I'm sure will be equally appreciated, but Christmas makes me think more about presents and giving and what better idea!

 

I have started my rucksack, I have the bag and a sleeping bag and so far I've bought some socks.  This weekend I am going to hit the charity shops of Waterlooville as well as having a good sort through Barney’s warm jumpers he does not wear and hope to get my rucksack done and taken down to Central Point in Portsmouth (my local event) as soon as possible.

 

Here is a few links you may be interested to read as well…

 

(warning some swearing)http://fannythechampionoftheworld.com/2013/10/23/emotional-baggage/

 

http://www.cause4opinion.co.uk/2013/11/helping-the-homeless-this-winter/

 

 

I'll keep you posted, Sammy xxx