Leaving your home during a crisis

SVP is a million little acts of kindness passed back and forth between gentle souls like yours for generations. And during times of crisis like these, in the very act of giving, you warm more weighed down and weary hearts than you will ever know...

Anna loved her home. It was the house her children had lived in since they were born.

You can imagine that it wasn't an easy decision to leave. Especially with her boys to think about, but in her heart, Anna knew they had to get out of there…

"We couldn't be around my husband anymore," says Anna, "It was all very difficult, my son has a disability, but we had to leave our home".

Anna says that it was the very lowest point in her life. And you can understand why… as a lone parent, Anna struggled to pay the bills and put food on the table. Soon she found herself creeping deeper and deeper into debt. That's when she finally decided to call SVP.

Because of you, a kind voice answers…

Help. Hope. Dignity. You.

"The volunteers are just so lovely," says Anna. "They talk to you, and they make you feel human, they treated me like a proper person… it made such a difference."

By the time Christmas came around, SVP volunteers had been helping Anna for a few months with food, fuel vouchers, and checking in to make sure she was coping.

When Anna speaks about all the help you've given her family, she glows with gratitude. But it was the surprise your kindness sent at Christmas time will stay in her heart forever…

"I opened the door, and there was this Christmas hamper filled with goodies," says Anna. "The box of celebrations chocolates was very popular! I felt so low and bad about myself as a person, it meant so much to me that somebody cared and had an interest in me. You are so low during those times… you just feel useless. To just get that little bit of help makes such a huge difference. It really gave me the encouragement to keep going when I needed it most."

It is said that kindness begets kindness and so it is for Anna… Inspired by the generosity in your heart — a perfect stranger — Anna wants to give back to others who are facing hardship as soon as she's back on her feet.

"It is nice to think that I can help someone else someday... I want to pass on the help I
received to someone who really needs it."

Your kindness creates ripples that never end. Thank you for giving.