3rd August 2013

5th March 2013

We are proud and excited to be working with Bedford Foodbank. We now have a 'bin' at our drop off point where our customers can donate non perishable food items. Check out their website: http://www.bedford.foodbank.org.uk

25th November 2012

Emmaus Village Carlton and several other Emmaus Communities from all over the country have come together to send a shipping container filled with goods to Madagascar.
The shipment was arranged by Emmaus Coventry and Warwickshire and other Communities across the country sent vans containing donations and manpower to assist with loading the large shipping container. The goods will be used by the recipient community in Madagascar to set up their own charity shop in their community.
On the Sunday afternoon we worked to fill the 40yd³ shipping container with furniture, electrical items, clothes and crockery, collected from all over the UK. Many Emmaus Communities have also held solidarity sales to fund the shipment.
The donation was made as part of the Emmaus International Container programme, which encourages successful European communities to collect donations to send to other countries who struggle to collect donations in their own country due to high levels of poverty and deprivation.
The programme supports the Emmaus principles of solidarity, where companions are encouraged to help out those less fortunate than themselves.
Pascal Rajerison travelled to the UK from Emmaus Vie Madagascar to watch the items being loaded up. He said: "This donation is very important to us. The Communities donated good stock, including some items that were new such as shoes, clothes. There was a bit of everything: electrical goods, crockery, and furniture. These are all things we really need in Madagascar and we are grateful to the UK communities for their help. The atmosphere was good and all the team loading the container were happy; we worked together and you could see the spirit of solidarity in action."

This is the third container sent overseas by UK Emmaus Communities, with both Cambridge and St Albans having sent containers to Eastern Europe in the past. The next container will be sent to Romania in 2013.