How the Ghosts of Scrooge are so relevant today

Are the ghosts of Scrooge relevant today? Is the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come more frightening today than the one that visited Scrooge? The ghosts all represent choices, but what choices can be made today? Could we become a more compassionate society? Must the gap between the rich and poor in the UK continue to widen? What would the ghosts of the past, present and yet to come reveal today?

How the Ghosts of Scrooge Are So Relevant Today
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Plastic Waste – Can Caterers Afford to Say No to Plastic? A Caterer Trying to Say No to Plastic & be Kind to the Environment

Plastic waste is damaging our planet.  As a caterer I undoubtedly contribute to the pollution of our planet and I want to stop. But – can I afford to stop using plastic as the alternatives are more expensive?  Although I enjoy catering, I work to earn money, and replacing the catering disposables I use with eco-friendly alternatives will cut into my profits. Will my customers embrace my efforts to be ‘plastic free’ and help absorb the increase in my costs? How much is it likely to cost me to say no to plastic?  Here’s what I found out.

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Caring Caterers – Five Examples of Caterers helping the Homeless

Caring Caterers across the UK are providing the homeless with free food but it is often difficult to find out who these caterers are.  Newspaper headlines sometimes report on these caterers; similarly they report on those who refuse to serve the homeless.  Here I showcase some of those caring caterers and I have just added the five examples given in this post.

Caring Caterers - Five Examples of Caterers Helping the Homeless

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Is Kindness Enough?

Kindness helped a lot of people this Christmas – from food banks; gifts of warm clothing and toiletries; to free meals, shelter and company. But what happens now?  The problem has not gone away.  Kindness will not eradicate poverty. Are we helping by providing temporary relief or are we distracting those responsible from finding a solution?  Would the government be more likely to focus on dealing with poverty if they weren’t being helped by charities?

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Christmas – A time for laughing and sharing

Christmas will soon be upon us. Amidst the festive build up and associated stresses and financial concerns, I thought I’d share with you some amusing experiences and things that make me laugh.  I love Christmas. For me, it’s all about being with family and friends; it’s a time to forget (for a short period) the problems our world is facing and to simply enjoy being alive.  I will reflect upon past Christmases: happy times spent with my parents (now deceased), the beaming smiles on my children’s faces following Santa’s visit, and will look forward to the different kind of magic that Christmas brings now.
 
 

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How to encourage customers to donate money to a charity without embarrassing them

Charity begins at home.  Many believe this proverb means that you should look after your family and friends first, but I would argue that it means that charity begins in the home where your children learn what charity really is. One of my daughters, a student, sent me this photograph a couple of days ago:

How to encourage customers to donate money to a charity without embarrassing them
Wish for Water Mexican restaurant called Ojo Rojo, where customers can donate to the charity

She explained that small boxes have been placed on each table at a Mexican restaurant called Ojo Rojo, where customers can donate to the charity ‘Wish for Water’. She told me that she and her friends put their loose change into the box. She said that she was happy to donate because although she could only afford to give away her loose change, she did not feel embarrassed at not being able to donate more.  There was no pressure to donate – just the opportunity.  Our conversation inspired me to write this post.

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10 ways a caterer can help with homelessness and foodbanks

Homelessness is increasing significantly and food bank use continues to rise. What can a caterer do to help?  There are already a number of caterers helping others, so I decided to write  a detailed post about what they do in the hope that it helps other caterers who may be thinking that they too want to help.
Homelessness 
  • 47 is the average age of death of a homeless person (Crisis)
  • 4,134 people are estimated to be sleeping rough on any one night (Homeless Link)
  • 132% rise in rough sleepers since 2010 (Crisis)
  • 16% rise in rough sleepers since 2015 (Crisis)
  • Over 125,000 homeless children living in Britain today (Shelter)
  • 62% of single homeless people may not show up in official figures (Crisis)
These are just the statistics – the human suffering is immense. How many homeless people are there where you live and shop? How many pass by your cafe or restaurant on a daily basis?  As a caterer, could you help just one person?

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