A team from CMS Window Systems was amongst an army of volunteers who joined forces just before Christmas to deliver hundreds of packages of donated food, children’s clothes and toys to families in Kirkcaldy, Fife who are struggling to make ends meet.
The delivery day was part of the 2019 Christmas appeal by the Cottage Family Centre, a charity which provides a range of support to families and individuals within family units who are vulnerable to social exclusion. Now in its ninth year, the appeal delivers much-needed donations direct to families living in one of Scotland’s most disadvantaged communities so they can have an enjoyable Christmas.
A fleet of 40 vehicles, including CMS vans, mobilised to deliver £32,000 worth of fresh food, plus sacks of brand new children’s toys and clothes which ensured scores of youngsters had something to open on Christmas morning. A total of 1,271 people received the support, an increase of 20% from 2018. In addition to the vans and hands-on support on the delivery day, CMS is also said to have provided warehousing for the donations in the run-up to the day itself, at its Hayfield site in Kirkcaldy.
CMS has been a long-term supporter of the Cottage Family Centre, driven by the commitment of its contract manager, John Deacon, who was honoured at the recent G19 Awards for his charity support by being presented with the Unsung Hero award. John was joined on the delivery day by colleagues from CMS’ HQ in Cumbernauld, as well as those based at CMS’ facilities in Kirkcaldy, who swapped their day jobs at CMS to load up and deliver the festive packages across Kirkcaldy, alongside volunteers from numerous other local businesses and Fife Council.
Pauline Buchan, Cottage Family Centre manager, said: “On behalf of everyone in the Cottage Family Centre team, I’d like to sincerely thank everyone who donated items or money to our appeal and those who helped with our deliveries. Whilst we must support families in our community all year round, as a result of everyone’s efforts here it is pleasing that hundreds of families and children will be able to enjoy the Christmas festivities that little bit more.
“A very special thanks goes to everyone who has been with us since we moved out of our centre in 2015, as the need for this support at Christmas has become greater. In particular, John Deacon and the CMS team – no words can describe how much we appreciate your ongoing support and the care and kindness you show, not only to us as a team but to our families. Your team are simply the best and we couldn’t do what we do without them, always on hand whenever needed.”
The Cottage Family Centre is one of a number of community-based good causes that CMS Window Systems supports as part of its commitment to corporate social responsibility. In 2019, it helped causes ranging from The Halliday Foundation, a charity that supports homeless people living on the streets of Glasgow, to South Ayrshire Council’s annual community fun day and the Beatson Cancer Charity.
