The Spag Bol Project, the charity launched last month by Marketing Metrix founder and chief executive Bill Portlock with a mission to help tackle homelessness, is following up its Christmas appeal with a call to anyone detoxing for the new year to donate their savings.
The charity, which is initially supporting Centrepoint, Crisis and The Salvation Army, used the festival season to urge consumers to cut back on the extravagance of Christmas dinner and donate the cash they saved to charity.
The persistent problem of homelessness means society needs to continually find solutions all year round, with this latest initiative tapping into “Dry January” to boost donations to the organisation’s homeless charity partners.
Research by currency provider Caxton shows a couple who quit drinking in January could fund a £218 two-night city break in Amsterdam; funds which could also provide one-to-one support for a homeless person to find accommodation.
The charity points out that, assuming the average couple can save up to £44 a week, by extending abstinence to April this could rise to £740. Donating even a portion of that will have a massive impact, the organisation argues.
Bill Portlock said: “Dry January does not require any great sacrifices. We are not asking people to go hungry, just to consider giving up their Bollinger not their Bolognese. We want to help the homeless as much as possible during winter and are proud of the hard work our partners carry out to help destitute people rebuild their lives.
“The personal and societal upside is huge; consider the massive health benefits of laying off the liquor and the impact of donations towards helping society’s most disadvantaged.”
For more information, visit The Spag Bol Project’s website>
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