It’s January, money is very tight after big Christmas spends
and it seems everyone has had a fitness kick to get into shape. For some it’s
not a choice as they simply cannot afford to eat. Sadly, foodbanks are still in
as demand as ever, even according to reports nurses and police staff are having
to use food banks to help support their families as they simply cannot afford
to feed their family after bills, etc have come out. The foodbanks are a great
resource for people on the poverty line, with some only needing it in a time of
need and other families relying on the foodbank constantly. I am not ashamed to
admit that growing up, we didn’t have much. Meals would be rice, beans and
mince. Pop drinks were a luxury, and if there was a bag of crisps in the house,
it was pay day. When it was before payday, bread and butter would be the staple
diet, if you rolled up the bread it tasted a lot better but this is the mind of
a 7-year-old. Now I am in a better position to avoid the bread option, but
there are still people that need help, and that is where us pageant girls come
in!!
Part of being a pageant queen is helping others, and there
are many food bank donation banks set up around the UK and in local
supermarkets. If you like a challenge, why not take the £5 food challenge! Shop
with a friend or fellow pageant queen, and see how many items you can buy for
£5. Not only will this make you think about what you spend on your weekly shop,
but also how much a fiver can get you. It could be enough to feed a family of four
for three days of three set meals if you find the right items. Once you have
reached your limit, the donation box is there to donate so you don’t even have
to leave the store! If you don’t fancy spending a whole £5 then just by picking
up an extra can of food or maybe it’s a buy one get one free offer on something
in your shopping list that you don’t really need two sets off, something so
simple can really help make a difference.
If you do find yourself donating a few extra items to your
local foodbank, be sure to tag Katherine Vernon (Mrs Rutland Galaxy) who is
doing a food donation drive to get 10,000 items donated to various foodbanks
around the UK, and she’s on over 8,000 last time I checked! Your items will add
to this total, it’s all about raising awareness and encouraging more to donate
and what better way than a hashtag and beauty queens all over the UK taking up
the challenge!
Not everyone is so lucky with just needing the foodbanks,
others find themselves homeless through many different reasons. I have been
very lucky to work in a job that has allowed me to get a lot of donations for
the homeless at my homeless drive every November. For the past three years, I
have collected various items like shower gel, hair wash, toothpaste, sanitary
items, towels and blankets to help my local homeless charity Threshold provide
these to the homeless. The donations go to three different places here in
Swindon, from the night stay where people can stay the night, in a warm bed,
clean up and be safe from the streets. They are also given packs and coins to
use in local health clubs where they can use the showers and be clean. The
items are also used to help people back on their feet in their first
accommodation since being out on the streets.
So, onto the positive in all this, by starting campaigns it
creates a movement, more donations and more people benefiting overall. From Katherine’s
Food Bank Challenge, beauty queens from all over the UK have helped contribute
to that growing number of donations, it has opened the eyes of so many different
girls in how we spend but also how others aren’t in the same positions. From my
homeless drive, my fellow beauty queen Sheri set up her own donation station at
her work, and encouraged more people to donate meaning Threshold got twice as
many donations just through the power of educating our work colleagues and customers.
From a small ripple of waves, us pageant girls can create something massive!
These donations are needed all year round, I chose November for my homeless
drive because there are more offers on toiletries, meaning more to donate plus
it’s one of the coldest months of the year leading to December when people are
a lot more giving.
Remember those small acts of kindness, they can make
someone’s year! Next week pageant positivity will be all about eco! From
recycling, different pageant outfits or bringing new life into outfits, I’m
going to show you my favourite eco outfits! (I love a good flag dress!)
Lots of Love
Hannah x <3 x
Young European Ms International 2017/18
Comments
Post a Comment