Do Good Day 8th March 2024
The 8th of March is Saint John of God Day, a day to celebrate our founder and his legacy. We continue to do #GoodWork in his name, making a difference to the lives of the people we support.
“Do good for yourself by doing good for others” - Saint John of God
We wanted to mark the day with events and activities to #DoGood in our local communities involving the people we support and colleagues.
Lindisfarne Court, Darlington
Residents and staff of Lindisfarne Court Care Home were joined by colleagues from Finance and IT on Do Good Day as they baked food to donate to the Kings Church Foodbank in Darlington.
Senior support worker Ellie said, "Kings Church Foodbank is a place where anyone, in times of hardship, can go and receive an emergency bag of food and ongoing support until they are back on their feet. They were overwhelmed by our donations and were extremely grateful for our kindness."
St John’s Terrace, Scorton
St John’s Terrace had a very busy Do Good Day, getting involved with lots of different activities in their local community.
Nicola and Dan made flowerpots and delivered them to a couple of the neighbours in the village who had been under the weather. They were very well received.
Dan also decided to do a litter pick around the village. So, he put on some gloves, grabbed a bin bag and set off! Two full bin bags later and the village was very tidy, and Dan enjoyed himself.
The team ended their day by making cakes for the local care home.
Impact Lead Cristina and Policy & Research Officer Ioana
Cristina and Ioana volunteered for the FoodCycle project, which prepares meals every Friday at the Woolwich Common Community Centre.
Ioana said, “We helped setting up the tables, welcoming guests, serving and cleaning the space.”
Green Team
The SJOG Green Team spent their day volunteering at Heggs Farm in Arkengarthdale where a native woodland has been planted in a partnership with the landowner, the Woodland Trust and some local volunteers.
Green Team Manager Doug said, “We were checking the condition of the trees, removing grass from the tree guards and making sure the stakes were straight and secure.”
Brentwood, Leyburn
Pam and Nell prepared cakes to share with neighbours, and Peter then delivered them. The neighbours were very grateful!
Karen & Chantelle Marketing
For the second year in a row, Karen and Chantelle collected warm coats, hats, gloves and scarves to donate to the Wall of Kindness in Middlesbrough.
The wall of kindness was installed in December 2022 by a local businessman who wanted to help people who are homeless, or struggling with the rising cost of living.
The wall reads ‘If you are cold then help yourself... If you have a spare, then be KIND and share..’
Chantelle said, “When we got there, the wall was empty, and it was FREEZING cold. We hung the clothes, and our hands were red and hurting afterwards.
As we were leaving, we saw a homeless man picking out a warm jacket and some gloves.”
Outreach Services, Liverpool
SJOG outreach services in Liverpool collected food items that were then donated to several food banks in Liverpool.
The Old Vicarage, Stockton
For Do Good Day this year, The Old Vicarage decided to do a week of sponsored walks supporting the British Heart Foundation. The goal was to get the residents moving and spend more time outdoors while raising money for a good cause. The team walked a total of 29 miles or 58699 steps!
Ceuta House, Brighton
The staff team and the people they support volunteered their time weeding their local Salvation Army Church parking area and external areas.
Service Manager Bianca said, “We had a great time! Congress Hall provided refreshments and lunch to all volunteers. We had the local community involved as well. The sun was bright and warm. Doing good makes us feel good!”
Outreach Services, London
The London Outreach team took part in several activities on Do Good Day.
Erica volunteered at Hummingbird Social, where she spent quality time with the elderly in Catford at St. Lawrence Church.
Giannina went to Wesley church-run toddlers' playgroup in Leigh on Sea, offering support for new mothers and little ones.
Emilia and the team invited female survivors to a women's empowering session. Where they received signposting through Strength & Stem, Sophie Hayes Foundation and Bright Future.
Julien and Yarin created a mini-library and book exchange for SJOG service users. They collected two large bags of books that were donated by the Oxfam Bookshop in Balham and then set up an area in the SJOG service so the people they support could select books on mindfulness, self- help, language and books for their children.
Heba and the team from Ambrose House donated food parcels to people SJOG supports in safe houses. Heba said, "Today, on Do Good Day, I found joy in giving back to my community in Hounslow. With gratitude, I donated 15 food parcels filled with essential items to our clients in the safe house and outreach service. Knowing that these small acts of kindness can make a significant impact fills my heart with warmth and hope."
Isaac and the team volunteered at Their Voice. The team went to the clothing packing lodge in Caterham and spent their time packing clothes packages for children and adults. Isaac said, "We got to know Carolyn, who started the charity and learned about the history and successes of the charity. We had a great time and would happily do it again in the future."
The team also made a clothes package for a survivor of modern day slavery and delivered it to them. They were very grateful, and their daughter was so excited that she got a teddy bear.
Regent’s House, Middlesbrough
The team at Regent’s House volunteered at The Hope Foundation, where they cleaned and painted a room, cleaned chairs, and stripped wallpaper so that the room could be plastered. The team returned to paint the room once the new plaster dried. The CEO of the Hope Foundation was grateful and thanked all the staff for their efforts and commitment.
Melanie and Andrea, Housing Team
Andrea and Melanie joined the Year 7 Whitburn pupils to do a local litter pick.
Melanie said, “The pupils were all amazing and enthusiastic, and the school received positive feedback from local residents too.”
Balmaclellan, Catterick Village
Walter and Darren helped to bake some cakes and then delivered them to a local retirement home in the village.
Southern Ops Team and Elmthorpe Convent
The South Operations team joined Elmthorpe staff and the Salesian Sisters to celebrate Do Good Day and International Women's Day.
Deputy Head of Operations – South, Ana said, "We made traditional Romanian bracelets, embraced diversity, delivered a presentation on 4000-year-old traditions from Eastern Europe, and offered spring flowers to all our wonderful sisters!"
Carmona House, Birmingham
The team split into two groups and dedicated their Do Good Day volunteering at two organisations within the community.
One group visited Gilgor, an organisation offering support to women who have fled domestic violence. Here, they cared for the children, allowing the mothers to take part in activities and enjoy a much-needed break.
Meanwhile, the other group volunteered at Jericho, a social enterprise. The team did some gardening and helped to build some new garden furniture at one of their safe houses for females.
Villa Maria, Hythe
The team organised a Pink Day to raise funds for the Pink Ribbon Foundation for Breast Cancer Awareness. Everyone wore pink and baked pink cakes. The team raised £247!
Woodhall Community Centre, Welwyn Garden City
Service Manager Mo explained what the team at Woodhall got up to on Do Good Day.
"We based our activities on community feedback, wishing the local area were a little nicer to walk through. So today, we divided our time between litter picking and sprucing up the fronts of local shops. Painting, gardening and cleaning was the order of the day.
We received a significant amount of local appreciation. A mums group walking through paid us compliments and said how nice the place was looking, a local resident bought us a box of chocolates, and the street warden team gave us a toot and a thumbs up when passing.
The guys had a great time and can't wait for the next one."
The Minims, Hatfield
The Minims supported their local food bank in Hatfield on Do Good Day.
Deputy Service Manager, Faye said, “We went shopping to our local Tesco to buy donations of food and toiletries that were desperately needed to support our local community, and we helped make up parcels of groceries for lots of families that are in need to come and collect. We will continue to support this food bank not just on Do Good Day but throughout the year!”
Sandown Road, Billingham
Sandown Road had a fancy dress sports day to raise money for cancer charities.
Service Manager Jess said, "We supported our Sandown Family to take part in a sponsored sports day, and we all had so much fun! We also had a "dunk the boss" game, which brought a lot of laughs to the end of the day!
We were also supported by our local Tesco who donated raffle prizes and easter eggs for our ladies and gentleman for easter! We have raised £500 to donate to two cancer charities! What an achievement as a team this was!"
Rockliffe Court, Darlington
Residents started their day with a random act of kindness by visiting their local coffee shop and gifting them a flower basket.
Residents then planted sunflower seeds for the local school, and whoever grows the biggest wins an easter egg!
Colleague Deborah said, "We had a lovely day spreading joy to our pretty village."
Autumn and Shamim, Housing Team
Autumn and Shamim volunteered at the donation centre for Overgate Hospice, sorting through items that people had donated to be sold and benefit the hospice.
They both had a great day.
