Support Open Hands!

For the last 14 years Open Hands has been supporting people in need in Leicester with emergency essentials such as food, clothing, and furniture, alongside providing opportunities for people to learn new skills and receive additional support through mentoring. Every week more than 250 people from all walks of life access help through our Compassion Centre in St Matthews, supported by our amazing team of 80+ volunteers! We love to go the extra mile in everything we do, treating everyone as individuals and offering care with dignity, respect and choice in all areas of our work. 

As the cost of living continues to rise, we are helping more people than ever before. Through our Food Store alone over 100 households are supported every week and referrals are coming through to this service at a rapid pace. The circumstances of people accessing our support vary drastically, and include low-income families, asylum seekers and refugees, pensioners, and people who are homeless. 

Our food bank is set up like a small shop, designed to give people choice over the food they receive – this means that hunger is not only reduced, but families are able to eat food that they can enjoy. In addition to this practical support we teach people how to budget and come to afford food for themselves. Our volunteers also provide a space for people to be listened to and heard so that nobody feels alone. A man who came to our food bank recently shared:

We’re crowdfunding to provide a warm safe space so that people can access the support they need. Any money you donate will help us to keep our heating and lights on, and our doors open so that we can continue to make a difference!