"By creating these care packages we want to be able to provide a sense of reassurance to families"
Lee McAteer, founder
Charity Boxx, a Manchester-based Social Enterprise company, has launched an appeal to raise £25,000 to provide care packages for survivors of COVID-19.
Created by business associates Sarah Wilkinson, Lee McAteer and Akhlaq Choudhury, Charity Boxx wants to give out 5,000 care packages to hospitals across Greater Manchester for the survivors of Coronavirus.
The care packages consist of surgical gloves, hand sanitiser, a face mask, tissues, hand cream, a special pin badge and an information pack.
Founder of Charity Boxx, Sarah Wilkinson said: “Each of us founders have been affected in some way with the Coronavirus - whether it be family members or close friends working on the frontline within the NHS as well as having battled the virus.
“We have gone through the emotions of extreme worry and concern when diagnosed and battling the virus followed by the overwhelming sense of relief and desire to be able to help our loved ones on their road to recovery.
“During a conversation in the early hours of one morning where the three of us chatted about our experience - we all agreed we wanted to do something to help so Charity Boxx was born.
“We agreed that with the lockdown limitations you can’t be near to your loved ones, so the sense of helplessness is overwhelming. By creating these care packages – we want to be able to provide a sense of reassurance to families that their family members who have survived this dreadful virus will have a care package of essential items that will help them on their journey of recovery when they leave hospital.”
The appeal is for people to donate to the GoFundMe page - https://www.gofundme.com/f/nhs-survivor-care-package/donate where all the money raised will be used to help purchase the kit required for the 5,000 care packages.
Once the required amount of money has been raised, the items will be bought and shipped to the Invasion headquarters in Salford where a team of volunteers will be waiting to make up the care packages. For COVID-19 survivors that have already left hospital – the packs will be issued retrospectively direct to their home.
Meanwhile, Sarah's 87-year-old grandma is writing 5,000 individual note cards ready to accompany the care packages. If the donator would like to write a personal message, please write it in the box on the GoFundMe page and it will be scribed by the team.
Sarah added: “My grandma is self-isolating due to her age, and even though she may not say it, I know deep down she is probably struggling being on her own, and having little to focus on, being the active and socialite that she is. but she is really struggling with being on her own and having little to focus on. When she heard about what we were doing she wanted to get involved so offered to lead the way with the personalised notes. She’s amazing and such an inspiration.”
If anyone works at a hospital in Greater Manchester and would be interested in working with Charity Boxx to arrange for the care packages to be distributed to their hospital, please contact the team on Info@charityboxx.org
Charity Boxx is a social enterprise which is a company limited by guarantee under Saradipity Events. Saradipity Events is working in partnership with Invasion Camp Group & GO GET ME IT to bring you Charity Boxx.
For further information please visit the website https://charityboxx.org and follow on social media: Facebook.com/charityboxx, Twitter.com/charityboxx and Instagram.com/charityboxxhq
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