"Work for justice. Help the down-and-out. Stand up for the homeless. Plead the widow’s cause."  Isaiah 1:17 MSG/ESV

Together, we must act now to stop the devastating impact of COVID-19 on Derby City’s  most vulnerable, which is immediate but will also be felt for years to come.

During May and June, Derby City Mission saw an unprecedented 180%  increase in demand for our Foodbank and Debt & Benefit Advice services as a result of COVID-19. We are so grateful for all of you who have supported our appeals during this period. However at the same time, we predict that our fundraising income is likely to drop by as much as £232,000  this year due to cancelled funding streams by our statutory partners and grant making Trusts and Foundations as well as some individual donors.

For over 30 years God has provided for us to be Good News to people in crisis. We have supported the homeless and people from mainly deprived areas and whilst this continues, more people who are being hit by the onset of economic recession are getting in touch. Demand is set to increase in the foreseeable future as more people become unemployed, struggling to feed themselves and their families. People’s budgets that are already on a knife-edge are unable to pay priority bills or manage crippling debt, leading to eviction from their homes. More people will become homeless and more people’s mental health will be adversely affected by both the economic impact and the trauma of isolation and the disruption of society as we know it.

In these unprecedented times, we're adapting fast – we’ve streamlined and made more services accessible via telephone and online whilst providing essential food parcels to the community, and continuing face to face contact and support for those sleeping on the streets. To meet the rise in demand we need to expand our debt & benefit and food services as well as introduce new projects. These new projects  include helping people cope with their mental health through a new community Wellbeing Hub and provision of training and support to help people find and secure paid work through our Employability project.

As a Mission, we too are facing serious financial difficulty and are in need of your support to continue our calling to serve the poor and vulnerable. We have the solutions to the problems but we don’t have the funding.  Please consider giving on a regular basis or making a one-off gift via our website  www.derbycitymission.org.uk or by using the response slip inside this newsletter. We are grateful to those who already give regularly and would ask you to prayerfully consider if you could increase your donation at this time. By God’s grace, we will weather this storm, as we play a pivotal role in making Jesus known. Thank you so much for your prayers, your dedication as volunteers, and your financial support.

May the Lord bless you and keep you.

Rev’d Julio RM Abraham, CEO 

To read the rest of the Summer 2020 Newsletter and hear about the great work our staff and volunteers have been doing.  Click Here