Those of you in our wider community will recall that we have been supporting St. George’s Crypt (SGC) for the homeless in Leeds over the past year.
Our recent marketing campaign was designed to launch the Penmann Company Video and invite people to view it by giving them a meaningful and altruistic reason to do so. A single view equalled a donation by Penmann of £1. Answering 3 simple questions in addition equalled a further £1 donation by Penmann.
With matching from our charity fund based on sales achieved during the year, we notched up a healthy total of £1,056.
John Kirwin, Penmann’s Sales and Marketing Director, spent a day volunteering at the Crypt in December 2019. The experience left a lasting mark on him. Commenting he said:
“On 13th Dec 2019 I volunteered at St. George’s Crypt Leeds due to my interest in homelessness. I used to walk past the Crypt on my way to and from school in the 70’s and I witnessed then the issues of homelessness.
It was a natural choice for me to spend my volunteering day at the Crypt. I was able to work in the kitchen helping to produce the 100+ lunches that are cooked for visitors to the Crypt every day. In the dormitories I was later able to hone my skills at bed changing!
Volunteers are essential to the daily running of this invaluable resource. The work of these volunteers, many of whom have been homeless, means that the Crypt can provide a 3 course meal, tea and coffee, practical and emotional support to homeless and vulnerable people in Leeds completely free of charge”.
With charities struggling for funds this year the team at Penmann agreed that it was entirely fitting to give a significant donation to St. George’s. It was also fitting that John should present the donation in person. He met with Andrew Ormond, Marketing Director at SGC for a socially distanced presentation which was captured in stills and on video.
Last year SGC provided:
10,920 Beds for occupants needing a safe and warm place to sleep.
12,382 Hot Showers provided to anyone in need.
65,700 Hot Meals for those people in need.
