DJRFF’s donation to support and inspire pupils during lockdown
DJRFF teams up with Together for Sheffield and the S6 Foodbank to donate and distribute hand-on activity kits to children across the city.
Back in March, and with new lockdown restrictions imposed, daily routines were shaken up and we prepared to get to grips with huge changes to life as we knew it. While most of us turned to remote working and socialising online, many more families across Sheffield turned to food banks and community projects following loss of employment, in-work poverty and the closure of schools and childcare facilities, all of which contributed to additional financial strain.
DJRFF is committed to empowering and improving the lives of children and so when schools closed for the majority of pupils, founders David and Jane Richards were keen for the foundation to play their part in supporting struggling families by donating hands-on activity kits to children across the city.
The foundation teamed up with Together for Sheffield, a charitable organisation who have been working with food banks across Sheffield to respond to the increased and overwhelming demand for emergency food supplies. The work done by food banks is invaluable and we felt that the donation of activities for children whose families relied on food parcels would go some way to respond to another pressure faced by vulnerable families: home-educating without the resources available to purchase school supplies and activities.
Our focus was hands-on kits: engaging activities that would keep children inspired during their time away from the classroom and prevent them from falling even further behind in their studies. We carefully selected a range of items to suit different ages and interests and over a couple of weeks we received deliveries of all sorts of exciting crafts and activities, from cross-stitch kits and calligraphy sets to colouring books and dino digs. The foundation is particularly passionate about ecology and so among the items donated we included indoor cress and sunflower growing kits. Not all families have access to their own outdoor space and we wanted children to stay connected to and engaged with nature as much as possible.
We are extremely grateful to Together for Sheffield and the S6 Foodbank, who were able to arrange for all of the items to be sent on to locations around Sheffield, enabling us to reach out to families in all areas of the city. We hope that pictures, clay modelled animals and painted suncatchers have taken pride of place on walls and in windows and have helped to brighten up a long and difficult period for many families.
The foundation would encourage other organisations to consider offering similar support where they can. As the end of the summer term draws near and with many pupils still not having returned to the classroom, it is clear that there is a huge need to present pupils with opportunities to keep learning at home until schools open again in the autumn. Details about the foundation’s donation were published in The Star which can be accessed via the following link: