Giving Back in Action: Supporting Families with Pelican Parcels
Earlier this month, the Focus Foundation team swapped laptops for labels and spreadsheets for scissors as we spent the day volunteering with the incredible team at Pelican Parcels in Sussex.
From the moment we stepped through the doors, we were welcomed with open arms by their passionate and friendly team. Evie, Pelican’s Fundraising Manager, showed us around their brand-new warehouse and shared the inspiring work they do to support families with young children across Sussex who are living in poverty.
Then came the fun part, rolling up our sleeves and getting stuck in! Together with the lovely Toya from Brighton i360, we joined the preparations for Pelican’s epic Christmas Project. Our mission for the afternoon? Cutting and folding endless rolls of wrapping paper to help get thousands of gifts ready for local families.
This year, Pelican Parcels will once again be delivering over 3,000 festive gift parcels to households who could really use a little extra Christmas magic. It’s a huge operation, powered by compassion and community and it simply wouldn’t happen without the dedication of Pelican’s team and their amazing volunteers.
Like so many grassroots charities, Pelican Parcels relies on people giving up their time to help. If you’ve got a volunteer day to use, we can’t recommend this experience highly enough, it’s hands-on, heart warming, and truly rewarding.
Here’s what our volunteers from Focus Group had to say
Jenny Sadler, Technical Support Advisor 2nd Line at Focus Group
“The experience was amazing. The fact that they’re needed at all is really sad, but the work they do and how thorough they are, is incredible. They believe every parcel provided is a gift, and that’s exactly what this organisation is: a gift to families in need.
I left the volunteering day wanting to do more, so I donated via their Amazon Wishlist. I’ll 100% be volunteering with them again if I can.”
Lolli Hamilton, Technical Support Advisor 2nd Line at Focus Group
“I couldn’t believe they’re the only organisation in Brighton providing free parcels of essentials to low-income families, the only baby bank in the area!
It was lovely to help with their day-to-day work of organising clothing items so they could focus on preparing parcels. I really hope they receive more support, they’re such a lovely group of people.”
Abigail Ritchie, Technical Support Advisor 2nd Line at Focus Group
“Pelican Parcels actually supported me a little when my youngest was born, so I’ve known about them for a while and already donate to them. I was really excited to use my volunteer day there, and I loved every minute. I’m hoping to spend my next volunteer day with them again next year!”
A massive thank you to everyone at Pelican Parcels for having us, your dedication, kindness, and impact are truly inspiring.
