Thanks for helping (From Warrington Guardian)

Thanks for helping

In particular, Christmas is a time of year when most other support agencies are unavailable.

WODAC is run by volunteers from Christmas Day to New Year's Day, offering warmth, friendship, support, advice and refreshments in the way of hot meals, drinks and light refreshments.

This year it was again held at St John's United Reform Church on Wilderspool Causeway and we would like to thank the church for their generous co-operation.

This year WODAC ran smoothly, with around 25 visitors arriving every day from around 10am. Visitors can be elderly people without family close by, isolated in their own homes. The majority however are homeless or in temporary accommodation; some may sleep rough, which on Christmas Day and Boxing Day would have been particularly cold.

It was touching that one young homeless man offered us a cash donation towards our work. We were pleased that there were plenty of new volunteers who were willing to help as needed. One of the most rewarding aspects for volunteers is that there are no stars or prize jobs in WODAC, with all tasks being equally important.

The committee, under chairman Brian Manning would like to sincerely thank all the WODAC volunteers for their hard work, also individuals who donated money, food, hats, gloves, scarves, toiletries, also MENCAP for their loan of the minibus and local bakeries and supermarkets for donating food.

Thanks for helping