Joining the mission to make Christmas magical for every child

In Manchester, a staggering 1 in 3 children are living in poverty and, for many families, Christmas is a luxury they just can’t afford. This Christmas, 37,576 children applied for a gift from Cash for Kids. That’s 37,576 children that, without help, would wake up on Christmas morning with nothing to open from Santa.

Cash for Kids is a grant-giving charity with the vision to improve the lives of thousands of disadvantaged children aged 0-18 in Greater Manchester every year. Their biggest fundraising event of the year is Mission Christmas; a gift-giving initiative that aims to make sure no child is ‘forgotten’ by Santa. Their mission ensures every child feels the magic of Christmas.

In 2022 alone, Cash for Kids’ Mission Christmas raised £1.2 million in gifts and donations as well as an additional £1.5 million year-round making a difference to 44,122 children across Greater Manchester. At Refinery, we wholeheartedly support Cash for Kids’ amazing work. So much so that we got involved ourselves.

Volunteering at Cash for Kids

This year, our Refinery Christmas elves wrapped up warm and headed to the Cash for Kids warehouse. We had a great day getting in the festive mood and helping to sort and pack hundreds of gifts for children all over Manchester.

It was heart-warming to see how many people had given their time and money to support this amazing initiative, but it was heart-breaking to see how many gifts needed to be donated. As well as volunteering, we hosted our own Christmas Jumper Day to raise gift donations as well as gifting a generous sum to Cash for Kids on behalf of our clients. Like we do every year, we had so much fun at the Cash for Kids warehouse and we already can’t wait to volunteer at next years’ event!

What can you do to help?

There are still children out there who need our help, especially around this festive period. Cash for Kids welcomes monetary or gift donations and, in the words of Tesco, every little helps! To help raise donations, why not host a Christmas Jumper Day or donate gifts to Cash for Kids instead of doing a traditional Secret Santa?

As well as donations, Cash for Kids are always looking for volunteers. If you can’t make a monetary or gifting donation, your time is just as valuable. To find out more about how you can help, visit Cash for Kids for additional information.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from all of us here at Team Refinery. Thank you for a wonderful 2023 and here’s to even more success in 2024! See you next year.