A Dundee business has joined forces with Marie Curie in a bid to raise vital funds for local families facing terminal illness.
Jessie’s Kitchen in Broughty Ferry will act as a drop-off point for customers who want to donate their unwanted clutter to the charity that provides free professional nursing care to the terminally ill at home.
Marie Curie patron Petra McMillan is hopeful a lockdown spring clean of local cupboards will see a repeat of a previous appeal which generated £20,000 for the organisation in Courier country.
Current restrictions mean all charity shops remain closed and unable to accept donations.
But with Jessie’s still operating a takeaway service, Petra said customers can safely drop off donations at a non-contact outdoor point when they pick up their food and drink orders.
Petra, from Dundee, added: “The pandemic has hit charities especially hard but we hope that in launching Spring Clean for Marie Curie we might provide an easy way for Jessie’s customers to help us raise much-needed cash to support our community nursing service across NHS Tayside.
“With the average bag worth around £30, two bags could fund three hours of high quality, hands-on free professional nursing care to individuals with a range of terminal conditions, including cancer, at home at the end of life in our postcode area.”
She hopes the Jessie’s partnership will give Marie Curie a head start when restrictions lift and their network of charity shops can reopen.
The charity currently has shops in Perth, Arbroath and Kirkcaldy.
Jewellery appeal success
In a 2018 initiative, more than £20,000 was raised after Taysiders donated broken or unwanted bits of jewellery to the Marie Curie Magpie Appeal with Dundee jeweller Lorraine Law.
The charity is keen to receive clothing, footwear, accessories, DVDs, books, CDs, homeware and small electrical items.
They should be double-bagged and can be handed in to Jessie’s Kitchen, Albert Road, Dundee between 10 am and 4 pm, Wednesday to Sunday through March and April.