Winter is coming, and so is clothing for the homeless thanks to Muslim charity, Human Appeal

The winter months are among us and as the days get shorter, the weather is becoming increasingly colder. For those of us with the blessing of warm homes and adequate clothing for the season, we tend to forget that there are others who don’t have such a luxury. Recent statistics have show than nearly twice as many people are sleeping in the streets in the city of Manchester when compared to the previous years and so, a small Muslim charity decided to do something about it.

As such, Human Appeal, a Muslim humanitarian NGO relief charity based in Britain, launched their drive in October, calling on people to donate their unwanted winter clothing to the organisation so that they could then distribute it to people in need for the ‘Wrap Up Manchester’ campaign. Safestore Self Storage also supported the cause by donating nine different locations around the city for people to drop off clothes; the clothes would then be distributed to homeless shelters, refuges centres, organisations for the elderly and other such charities that support vulnerable groups or those in need of aid and support. The campaign ran from the 7th to the 18th of November 2016an in that time, the public and local companies could drop off coats to the specified locations.

Samra Said, Human Appeal’s UK Programmes Coordinator, said there is a ‘significant need for warm clothing in Manchester at a time when homelessness is rapidly growing’ in an interview with The Independent. She went on to say that after initial outreach, some 500 people were in need of a coat, and she hoped that the charity are able to provide for them all.

The Liberal Democrat Party have announced their support for the charity and have encouraged members of the public to donate as many coats as possible. Manchester’s Liberal Democrats, John Leech and Jane Brophy, visited Human Appeal’s charity centres in Trafford and Altrincham to donate clothing and to speak with organisers about how they, and the public of Greater Manchester, could help support the charity tackle the homeless crisis in Manchester over the winter.

Councillor Jane Brophy has said, “Seeing the heroic work Human Appeal does has been truly eye-opening.” She then continued to suggest that the campaign has spurred her to tackle the homelessness crisis, as “it’s clear that their work is changing the lives of the most vulnerable people across Britain.”

For more information, or to donate to Human Appeal, you can get in touch with the team at info@humanappeal.org.uk.