We are facing unprecedented times. Many of us are feeling anxious, scared and shocked by the past few weeks. We know times are hard and there are many amazing people in this city - from NHS staff , to supermarket workers and those kind citizens who want so much to help others for no reward. These people are what Birmingham is made of and we want to salute them.
Today BirminghamLive is launching #BrumKind campaign - a chance to honour these fantastic people and raise money for a fighting fund to help communities and residents during the coronavirus pandemic.
With rising numbers in isolation and more positive cases swamping our hospitals, our communities need to pull together like never before.
The #BrumKind campaign will help get vital cash aid to communities and charities who need it the most through the Coronavirus Resilience Fund - launched in partnership with Heart of England Community Foundation.
You already know BirminghamLive and our sister papers Birmingham Mail and Birmingham Post as sources of news and information, bringing you live updates, breaking stories, guidance, advice and support round the clock, every day.
But we are also a part of this great city of ours, not apart from it.
Today we join forces to raise cash for the Coronavirus Resilience Fund - you can donate here.
All money will go directly to community organisations and charities who are working flat out to support our most vulnerable right now in the city and region. Not a penny is being spent on management costs.
Our partners at Heart of England Community Foundation have made the process of donating money easy - and it’s easy to apply for help too. Full details below.
We have also teamed up with Birmingham Voluntary Services Council (BCVS) and Birmingham City Council to ensure the help already under way is mapped out so nobody falls through the net. We also want to ensure any volunteers desperate to help are matched up with those who need it the most.
Finally, we are launching the #BrumKind hashtag to celebrate our community heroes and share messages of hope and resilience.
Anna Jeys, BirminghamLive editor, said the crisis requires a community response, adding: "We genuinely are 'all in this together'. That's what the BrumKind campaign is all about."
She added: “If one good thing has emerged from this crisis, it is the utter brilliance of Brummies to confront it and work together to help each other. Let us know who deserves a shout out and we will ensure their actions do not go unnoticed.
“But we want to do more than spotlight good deeds - we want to help support them financially. That’s why we have teamed up with the Heart of England Community Foundation, to get charities and community groups the cash they need to do more.”
Here’s everything you need to know and do to get help, give help, or shine a light on your community’s response.
Donate to the Coronavirus Resilience Fund
The Heart of England Community Foundation has helped more than 6,000 projects across the region and awarded over £20 million since being founded 25 years ago. The foundation wants to ensure important services that local people rely on are not falling by the wayside during the current crisis.
Today we join forces to raise cash for the Coronavirus Resilience Fund - you can donate here.
The fund will be available to constituted groups who are providing services such as food banks, social eating projects, emergency food parcel deliveries and those engaging in outreach activities.
Tina Costello, Chief Executive at Heart of England Community Foundation, said: “We understand the impact that Covid-19 will have on communities; personally, financially and when it comes to the capacity to support vulnerable people.
“It’s vital that local communities come together and support each other in these hard and uncertain times. The charity sector relies on donations to ensure they are helping those in need, and as a Community Foundation we want to ensure that the local support continues throughout this period.
“It’s our role to provide a voice for those who may not be shouting the loudest, but without whom whole communities would suffer immeasurably.”
Every penny of the money donated will go to support the city and region.
The fund has been kick-started with £50,000, with donations from Wesleyan, Coventry Building Society, Harry Payne Fund, and Youell Family Fund and has already reached £79,900 at the time of writing.
Apply for help from the Coronavirus Resilience Fund
The fund is open to all constituted groups who are providing, but not limited to the following services:
- Food banks or social eating projects
- Delivery of emergency food/medicine parcels to those isolated due to the virus
- Street pastors or those engaging in outreach activities
- Befriending services supporting the elderly or vulnerable through isolation
But we also want to hear about your work if you do not meet these descriptions.
To apply, please fill out an application form and email it to info@heartofenglandcf.co.uk
The form has been kept as simple as possible to make it easy to apply, while meeting our obligations to spend the funds wisely.
Brumkindness
Tell us your heart warming stories
If you know someone or a group of people reaching out to others and providing help, or just have a piece of heart warming good news you’d like to share, email newsdesk@birminghamlive.co.uk or post a direct message on our social media channels on Twitter and Facebook using the hashtag #BrumKind
We also join with our colleagues at Birmingham Voluntary Services Council who want to hear about all community initiatives so they can map out where help is abundant and where it might be missing - and ensure eager volunteers are directed to places in most need.
If you are a community group which has developed or is developing a response to the coronavirus outbreak, or you want to help, BVSC wants to hear from you. Please contact comms@bvsc.org or call 07388 376 945
