Vote for SCRATCH in our April Charity Poll & Help Fight Poverty 

Posted on 17 Apr 2023 by Emily Atkinson-Dalton
This month you can help support people in poverty by voting for SCRATCH in the Discount Promo Codes charity poll! Vote for free for this incredible charity, who are working to provide furniture and household items to disadvantaged families living in poverty, and help them win a donation of 20% of our profit this April. Find out more about the SCRATCH team below and how they support people in need, and how your vote can help them fight poverty today. 

SCRATCH logo

 

What Is SCRATCH?


Southampton City and Region Action to Combat Hardship (SCRATCH) are a registered charity based in Southampton who offer support to families and individuals living in poverty. They have been providing their services since 1999, and help people across Southampton and Hampshire to access essentials that they are unable to afford such as furniture. In 1 year they make over 1,300 deliveries to families, couples and individuals across the county in need of furniture, paint, toys, household items, electronics and other items. 

SCRATCH help to relieve the hardships of poverty in a number of ways, helping individuals through providing goods as well as through working with other charities, job centres, local authorities and community groups to ensure people who are struggling can access the help they need.

 

What do SCRATCH Do? 


They focus on three primary elements to help people in poverty to get the assistance they need: people, product and place. 

The first element is the people. They work with a wide range of people and help make a positive impact on their lives. They work with people struggling with issues such as:

  • Unemployment

  • Domestic violence

  • Family breakdown

  • Physical illness

  • Mental illness

  • Homelessness

  • Debt

  • Financial issues


The way they support their service users is through recycling products, helping people to dispose of unwanted goods and giving them to those who need them. This not only helps both parties get what they need, but also helps to reduce waste and in particular, environmentally damaging waste disposal, therefore benefiting the environment. 



They take in donations and distribute products such as furniture and household goods, electrical goods, toys and gifts, paint, utility vouchers and domestic appliances. They also provide volunteering opportunities, training, advice and guidance to people who would benefit from these services. 

Finally, they have a longstanding place within the local community, working with other organisations, charities and people to provide key services for people in need. SCRATCH works with voluntary groups and charities, employers, job centres, referral agencies and local authorities to help improve the lives of people struggling with some of the common challenges noted above. From finding work to getting professional financial advice to getting a bed to sleep on to getting housing, SCRATCH collaborates with other community support services to ensure that their service users can get the support they need. 

 

SCRATCH Projects 


SCRATCH Projects help to get people the right help, and there are a number of projects that people can access through referral agencies. These include:

The DORCAS Project: This project helps to provide furniture items to people in need who are suffering poverty and live in Hampshire. They can offer single items but they also have furniture packages available to help people who need multiple items such as those who have experienced homelessness or those living in poverty. The basic furniture package includes items such as a three piece suite, beds, bedding, curtains, cutlery and crockery, a kettle, a toaster, a wardrobe, a chest of drawers, a coffee table and bedside cabinets. 

SCRATCH furniture

The Removals Project: This service provides household removals for people in emergency situations such as those fleeing domestic violence, racial harassment or ill health.

Christmas Complete: The Christmas Complete project provides disadvantaged children with toys and gifts at Christmas, so that those who might otherwise not receive gifts can have Christmas presents. Last year they were able to provide a parcel full of presents to 2762 children and young people in Hampshire. 

Community Repaint: A little decor can go a long way, and there have been numerous studies to demonstrate the importance of an environment for everything from positive mental health to lower crime rates. Our research indicates that community art and painting projects can greatly improve mental health and life satisfaction, having a positive impact both on the people engaging in the project and those within the community who experience the visual artwork or decorated environment. The community repaint project distributes surplus paint to communities to be used by volunteer groups, community groups, disadvantaged people and charities. 

 

How Can I Help SCRATCH?


This April you can help SCRATCH by voting for them in the Discount Promo Codes charity poll! Cast your free vote on our Homepage and help this worthy cause to win a donation of 20% of our profits. 

As SCRATCH are always looking to donate more items to people in need, they always welcome a donation of furniture. You can donate items of furniture such as beds, cots, wardrobes, sofas, and you can find a complete list of items on their donation page. 

They are run by volunteers and rely on donations to keep going, so you can always send in a kind monetary donation so they can afford to keep running their services, and/or volunteer your time to SCRATCH. 

 

Can I Contact SCRATCH? 


If you are looking to use their services, learn more about SCRATCH or have any questions for the team, you can visit their Contact Us page online or send them an email at [email protected]. Their website also has links to all of their social media pages where you can also get in touch with them. 

 

SCRATCH are in need of your support this April, so if you want to vote for this worthy cause then make sure to cast your free vote by the 30th April 2023. Share the poll with your friends and family, and help provide essential services, furniture packages and toys to families and individuals living in poverty.

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