Emmaus Salford community members are celebrating the value of kindness as part of this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week.
Hosted by the Mental Health Foundation, Mental Health Awareness Week (MHAW) is taking place from Monday 18 to Sunday 24 May 2020. This year’s theme is focusing on the power and potential of ‘kindness’.
As an act of kindness to support those in need, Emmaus Salford runs Lucie’s Pantry, a social supermarket providing affordable food and household essentials. The pantry is currently being run by formerly homeless people supported by Emmaus Salford.
Damian, a member of the Emmaus Salford community, said: “I am really enjoying helping others at Lucie’s Pantry, especially during this coronavirus pandemic. It makes me happy knowing that I’ve made someone else happy.”
Damian added: “Just because no one else can hear or do your inner work for you, doesn’t mean you can, should or need to do it alone. Help is always out there if you’re willing to look.”
Emmaus Salford supports 22 formerly homeless people by providing them with a home and work in a community setting. As well as Lucie’s Pantry, Emmaus runs another social enterprise in Salford selling donated and upcycled furniture, household goods, clothes and vintage wares from its three charity shops.
One of the most important parts of the Emmaus ethos is solidarity. At Emmaus communities, this means carrying out an act of kindness to help someone less fortunate than yourself. Solidarity actions help to rebuild self-esteem, proving that everyone has the capacity to make a difference to the lives of others.
Rachel Richardson, Community Director at Emmaus Salford, said: “There are so many people who are really struggling and have been adversely affected by the coronavirus crisis. The work of our Emmaus Salford community members within Lucie’s Pantry is helping lots of people and households get through this difficult period. Their dedication and kindness is a real inspiration.”
“As well as those who are running Lucie’s Pantry, I would like to thank all the people and organisations who have supported our charity over the past few weeks. Their kind actions and donations have helped us support so many individuals across Salford and beyond.”
To find out more or support Emmaus Salford head to https://emmaus.org.uk/salford/.
As part of MHAW, the charity, Mental Health Foundation, is encouraging everyone to share stories of kindness on social media during the week using the tags #KindnessMatters and #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek. For more information visit https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/.