Ash-shahada helps the Vulnerable by donating 100+ presents for Festive period to Children in Lambeth and Midlands
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
During Christmas 2021, Ash-Shahada Housing Association ran its festive season toy collection drive to support vulnerable children in London and the Midlands. We distributed over 120 presents to vulnerable people, with a large portion of the presents being donated directly to Lambeth Council and others to tenants under Birmingham City Council.
Lambeth’s Cllr Anna Birley started her initiative in the wake of COVID-19’s impact on children, with more and more young people being affected by the pandemic. Fellow councillor and Ash-Shahada's board member, Cllr Irfan Mohammed, asked for some of the gifts to be dedicated to the councillor’s initiative.
Along with our Director, Umar Mahmood, numerous volunteers gave up their time to collect, drop off, clean and wrap toys to be delivered across the borough.
In a written letter to the recipients of the presents, CEO Toaha Qureshi MBE said:
“I hope you will accept this present for your child from Ash-Shahada Housing Association to make this holiday a little more special for children and spread some joy during this festive season. In light of such a testing year we have all been through, I am sure this year’s festive season will mean that much more.”
Comments received from those receiving the toys included:
“This has been a difficult period, but these presents are just the lift these kids need.”
The toys were delivered to Brixton Library, where Director Umar Mahmood met with Lambeth Council’s Director of Children’s Social Care, Alex Taylor Kubeyinje, and Councillor Anna Birley.
The presents, all brand new and boxed, included bubble machines, digital watches, make-up sets, board and card games, teddy bears, mosaic kits, jewellery sets and similar gifts. Cllr Anna Birley thanked Ash-Shahada “for the amazing donation of presents and the long hard hours of volunteering.”
Supporting Children in the Midlands
In the Midlands, together with our managing agent and support provider, we delivered presents to young children who are our tenants in our mother and baby units.
We were pleased to be joined by Waheed Saleem, Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner for the Midlands, on the occasion, and the children were beaming with happiness. Along with the presents, parents and children were also treated to hot meals.
This initiative demonstrated Ash-Shahada Housing Association’s commitment to supporting communities, our tenants, and empowering people more generally.
During the lockdown, many people were unable to leave their homes to go shopping, while others lost their jobs. This led to severe hardship in many cases. By stepping in to help individuals and families, Ash-Shahada was alleviating, in its own way, some of the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Through the festive season toy collection drive, we were able to bring joy to children and provide support to families at a particularly challenging time, ensuring that many young people could enjoy the Christmas period despite the difficulties faced throughout the year.
After thorough cleaning and wrapping, the gifts were prepared as professionally as possible before being handed over to Alex Taylor Kubeyinje, Lambeth Council’s Director of Children’s Social Care, by Umar Mahmood, Director of Operations, in the presence of Cllr Anna Birley at Brixton Library.
Hundreds of gifts were subsequently distributed through Lambeth Council to young children across the borough, helping to bring joy to families during a particularly challenging period.
