Last Year, Big Help Project continued its hard work to make a positive impact on the lives of those in need.
Focusing on providing support for vulnerable communities, tackling poverty and inequality, and promoting sustainable practice. Our activities ensure that we are able to make a real difference in the lives of those we serve.
This year has been like none other. A tumultuous year, where the only constant seemed to be change. Big Help Project oversaw the challenges birthed from a historical Cost-of-Living crisis. The Crisis has worsened the living standards of those already in a position of financial instability and has pushed entirely new demographics into financial hardship. Last year also saw food shortages, near unprecedented inflation, devaluation of the pound and the War in Ukraine – all of which placed intense additional pressure on ongoing service delivery and caused logistical challenges
Despite this we are delighted to confirm that we once again achieved our core mission. Ensuring nobody is left in crisis and making a difference in helping to break the cycle of poverty. It is important for organizations like the Big Help Project to regularly assess their impact and measure their success to ensure that they are effectively fulfilling their mission and values. So, we thought we would share a few of our achievements from the past 12 months.
Throughout 2022 Big Help Food and Knowsley Foodbank was faced with extraordinary demands placed upon their services as a result of the external crises within wider society. Big Help Food is now operating 16 unique Food Clubs across the Liverpool City Region. Through Big Help’s food projects, a total of 134,208 individuals were fed by the charity providing a staggering 655,857 meals. The project also oversaw the redistribution of 261.67 tonnes of surplus food which otherwise would have entered UK Landfills as waste stock. Repeated studies have shown that every 1kg of food wasted and placed into landfill emits 2.5kg of C02 into the atmosphere through the process – therefore we can estimate that our Food Redistributive Projects have prevented the equivalent of 654,195kg of Carbon Emissions.
Painting Green, Big Help’s community paint initiative also had a successful year. The projects ambition repurposes landfill bound paint into affordable paint packages for those in need. Throughout 2022 we delivered 1497 individual paint packs, containing a combined 34,997.5 litres of remanufactured paint. Studies have shown that commercial grade paint waste takes on average circa 700 years to decompose after it has been dumped in landfills.
We are proud to report that through our Painting Green project in 2022 we have prevented upwards of 98327.35kg of CO2 emissions. The practice of remanufacturing paints is an excellent way of managing waste and protecting our environment from toxic substances while opening new doors of opportunities and innovation for Big Help Trading.
In February 2022, we saw the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces. In that time there has been over 16,000 civilian casualties, with 6,700 killed. Over 6 million people have been forced to flee the country with a further 7 million displaced within it. More than 150,000 Ukrainians have come to UK since the war began. For those who settled in Liverpool and Merseyside, Big Help Project has become a place to meet others in the same situation and build a new community in unfamiliar surroundings. Big Help Project has become a thriving community for Ukrainians seeking support and socialisation with a support network of over 120 individuals, and we cannot wait to continue our support in the build up to this years Eurovision festivities.
This is just a few examples of what a year at Big Help Project looks like, but there is so much more that the charity has achieved. Big Help Employability supported 79 people into paid employment; Big Help Wellbeing hosted over 800 active classes; Big Help Welfare recovered over £47,000 in backdated payments; our Money Advice department closed over 100 debt cases; and our Baby Basics team distributed over 40 Moses baskets to expecting mothers in need.
Our organization works tirelessly to improve the lives of those in need through a variety of programs and initiatives. We understand that times may be tough right now and we want you to know that you are not alone. Our charity is here to offer support and resources to those in need. Whether you’re struggling to make ends meet, dealing with a difficult life circumstance, or just need someone to talk to, we are here to help. Our team of compassionate volunteers and staff are dedicated to making a positive difference in the lives of those we serve.