A Perth homeless charity is appealing for donations of warm clothes as they have seen a “noticeable increase” in people reaching out for help.
Churches Action for the Homeless (CATH) has launched its appeal after an anti-poverty summit in the city revealed 5,000 children across Perth and Kinross are living below the breadline.
Richard Howat, chief executive of the charity, said: “We have an outreach team throughout Perth and Kinross and they have seen a noticeable increase in people needing financial and mental health help.
“We want to reach everyone we can because many people haven’t been in this position before.
“More and more are struggling in the community.
“A lot of people may not have heard of us before but we want to help anyone and everyone no matter what their circumstances.
“We usually do this every winter, but not to this degree.”
Last week a poverty action taskforce met in Perth for the first time, revealing thousands of people in the county are living in poverty.
Where can I donate?
Donations of warm clothing can be made at the following Perth locations:
- Asda Dunkeld Road.
- Tesco Crieff Road.
- CATH Community Hub in the Ladeside.
More drop off locations will be added to CATH’s social media pages in the coming days.
What can I donate?
The charity is looking for new or barely worn clothes for both adults and children, including:
- Hats
- Gloves
- Jumpers
- Coats and gilets
- Blankets
- Sleeping bags
- Hot water bottles
Donations will be sorted in to support packages and distributed across Perth and Kinross, with the charity setting a goal of providing 200 to those in need.
The charity is also looking for local people to help out with distribution, handling and packing of the donations.
More information about how to volunteer can be found at: cath-org.co.uk/volunteering/.
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