M&S Food for Shelter

M&S Food for Shelter

13:59 PM, 27th November 2017, About 6 years ago 47

Text Size

Along with 12 other charities our reader Luke would like to point out that Marks and Spencers supports the anti-landlord charity Shelter.

“I’ve just popped out of my office to grab a sandwich from M&S and it would appear that a number of their products (in the sandwich section, at least) are having 5% of the cost donated to Shelter! Perhaps it’s worth letting members know to avoid such items and possibly even question M&S’s motives for this. I feel re-education is required.”

The M&S website says:

“Offer some shelter this Christmas

Twelve years with Shelter
We’ve been working in partnership with housing and homelessness charity Shelter for more than 12 years and, thanks to the generosity of our customers, we’ve raised £2.8 million through the sale* of our festive Food on the Move range of sandwiches, rolls and drinks.

Shelter’s free national helpline is open all year round to offer expert advice, support and legal aid to anyone struggling with issues related to housing and homelessness, no matter what their situation. It is manned by experts who will listen to and support people, and can help them take action or negotiate on their behalf. Just one call to Shelter can be the difference between somebody losing their home and keeping it.

How you can get involved
Five per cent of the sales from our Festive Collection for Shelter will go to help people struggling with homelessness and poor housing, so all you have to do to help is head to your nearest store and choose a festive drink, sandwich or snack. Right now, the money raised from these sales helps fund all calls answered by the Shelter helpline over Christmas.”

 


Share This Article


Comments

Luke P

11:08 AM, 28th November 2017, About 6 years ago

I don't know if Crisis are any better, but I heard one of their radio appeals today and it seemed to suggest they get people off the streets into accommodation and provide food etc...what you'd expect a proper homeless charity to do. That, we'd have no objection to. At all.

Perhaps a simple letter to M&S letting them know Shelter is not, perhaps, the charity they thought (which I imagine was more along the lines of Crisis as in their radio ad).

terry sullivan

11:13 AM, 28th November 2017, About 6 years ago

Reply to the comment left by loretta wight at 27/11/2017 - 18:09
turnover--mostly from public sector--is £40 million + and they provide no housing

NewYorkie

11:15 AM, 28th November 2017, About 6 years ago

Well said Jamie.
I am one of those landlords who has sold up when my long-term tenant decided to move out.
The apartment wasn't bought by a first time buyer or another landlord. It went to an older couple who had downsized, bought a cottage in the country, and wanted a London pied a terre.
2 more much needed London beds gone from the PRS!
When the time is right, I will also sell up elsewhere, and enjoy 'retirement' without the hassle of using my own money to try to keep roofs over others' heads, even when they don't pay!

TheMaluka

11:31 AM, 28th November 2017, About 6 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Dr Rosalind Beck at 27/11/2017 - 21:28
It would be better for M&S to support The Salvation Army for they do actually provide shelter and unconditional support where needed.
https://www.salvationarmy.org.uk/rough-sleeping-street-homelessness

NewYorkie

11:43 AM, 28th November 2017, About 6 years ago

If everyone on here posted this to Facebook and any other social media they are on, it may make a splash.

11:50 AM, 28th November 2017, About 6 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Dr Rosalind Beck at 27/11/2017 - 21:28
If the public believe that Shelter is doing good, then that will suit corporations who want to be perceived as contributing to the community. Especially when it's apparent that Gvmt is influenced by them.
If you believe that the public perception is wrong then you have to find a way to inform them of the facts.
Complaining as landlords will only just elicit the response that "they would say that wouldn't they", and who will support landlord's opinions?

To break that perception by corporations and the electorate, factual statistics about how Shelter (mis)uses money (or eg their Chief Exec abuses his expenses or some other scandal that newspapers can use as an "outrage"), and the effects on PRS housing as a DIRECT result of Shelter's activities would be needed.

Anyone know a supportive journalist / newspaper prepared to take a stance in conflict with general opinion?

Anyone have statistics (and sources) to back up the negative effects of Shelter's activities?

Dr Rosalind Beck

12:10 PM, 28th November 2017, About 6 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Ian Muir at 28/11/2017 - 11:50
The plain fact that Shelter provides no housing out of a budget of around £50 million (when I last checked) is surely enough? I also have a dossier of lies/inaccuracies/misleading statements they make on their blog. The newspapers are not interested in this subject in the main as Shelter seems to have a hold over the media and also Government for that matter. The only article I have ever seen casting any aspersions about them was after Grenfell when it turned out 2 of their Board members were involved in some way with the Tower.

As for Crisis, they do provide roofs over people's heads so that's a good start. They also currently are taking a 'wait and see' approach to Section 24. They are waiting for thousands of people to be made homeless because of it, and then they may assess it, after all the human misery has resulted, and may then declare themselves against it! (I got this direct from Jon Sparkes, although I may have twiddled the language he used)

Rob Crawford

12:25 PM, 28th November 2017, About 6 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Dr Rosalind Beck at 27/11/2017 - 21:28
You missed the whole point, perception is very strong and this thread will win no friends for landlords!

Dr Rosalind Beck

13:15 PM, 28th November 2017, About 6 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Rob Crawford at 28/11/2017 - 12:25No. You've missed the point. We are not in the business of pussy-footing around people and organisations which constantly slag us off. Why would you want to do that? It doesn't matter that fewer than 1% of landlords are 'rogue.' That doesn't stop these organisations hounding us. Being quiet wouldn't stop them and being noisy can't make it any worse than it already is. A taste of what we're up against is in my article about the Guardian's coverage of landlords and since I wrote it there have been more examples.
https://www.property118.com/guardians-current-onslaught-private-landlords/
Patrick Collinson recently made an appeal on 118 trying to get landlords to be profiled for his report on the Budget - but one of his most recent articles then made the usual derogatory comments about us. He once wrote an article inspired by an email I sent him. He then proceeded to inaccurately report my situation and start the article with a profile of a 'flash Harry' type character and a large photo of the guy in front of his Bentley. They have an ideology and a script and we must tread very carefully with these people who influence public perception about us far more than a few posts here would.

I would add that the Guardian will print any crap from both Shelter and Generation Rent and also from their own correspondents, often riddled with errors as well as being completely biased and we have no recourse when they do this. They regularly print hateful nonsense from Wilson Craw allowing him to promote his campaign to get Sections 21s abolished. He's an idiot with the Guardian as his stage. Abolish Sections 21s and landlords will flee the market even more than they are already doing because of Section 24. This all damages the PRS, damages tenants as well as landlords and exacerbates homelessness. It doesn't matter if you argued that they had their heart in the right place (which I don't actually believe) - it is the result of their destructive interventions which matter.

TC

13:18 PM, 28th November 2017, About 6 years ago

Perhaps there is an opportunity for Landlords to come together and form a charity to help the homeless? I am sure many of us make our own donations to various causes. Combined and focussed with a clear objective, this could be a powerful response, and help those that need help.

Leave Comments

In order to post comments you will need to Sign In or Sign Up for a FREE Membership

or

Don't have an account? Sign Up

Landlord Tax Planning Book Now