Catherine Krestyn furnished (布置家具)her home mainly with hard rubbish, such as the chairs, doors and lamps, which have been collected from the street where she lives. And it’s a way of life she’s sharing with her community in the hope of making a difference.

Catherine leads a 6,000-strong online group called Boroondara Hard Rubbish Rehome, where members upload pictures of their hard rubbish piles for eager locals to find. She started the group in 2022 with her childhood friend Jennie Irving, hoping to build a community of thrift (节俭)where they lived. The pair have stopped more than 7,000 kg of hard rubbish going to landfill since they founded the group.

Some items are ready as they are, like chairs and lamps, and others take a bit of effort to clean up, like the old, wooden doors.

Local teacher Ruth Polgar discovered the group while surfing the Internet and has since decorated her classroom with second-hand items, including artwork she has rehomed from a neighbour. “We regularly take unneeded items from the group and use them for our school projects,” she says.

Running the group can be really challenging for Catherine. But she doesn’t resent those who have to let go of their possessions because of stressful circumstances. “If you’re downsizing or if you’re clearing an old house, quite often you’re desperate for access to easy options,” she says. “Hard rubbish piles are often that option.”

All Catherine wants to do is give her community a way to reduce their waste, and to send a message to those in charge that things need to urgently change.

“The government has big targets around sustainable development leading into 2030. We want to start speeding that up even sooner,” she says. “We’re suffering from our own waste really, so anything that we can all do on a practical level helps. We should first make lifestyle choices and be prepared to go second-hand.”

“I was sleeping on the street for nine days. If it weren’t for Crisis, I might have died,” said Eddie, who was a chef for years, working in luxurious hotels in London. He lost his job and his health declined. He spent all his savings on rent and was forced to leave his home when they ran out.

He stayed with a friend, but it was crowded, and his friend eventually asked him to leave. Eddie found out about Crisis by chance and was referred to a Crisis at Christmas hotel.

Eddie was given a Crisis coach, who supported him in finding somewhere to live and he was given a phone, which he used to look for work. Eddie is settled in his new home. His health condition is much better and he is looking forward to the future.

Right now thousands of people at the sharp end of poverty are being pushed into homelessness. People are being left with no options than to go without basics like food, heating or keeping a roof over their heads.

Please donate today to end someone’s homelessness and support to leave homelessness behind for good.

·£10 monthly could provide a warm welcome and help someone take their first stepsout of homelessness.

·£32 monthly could help fund one-to-one specialist coaching in housing, benefits, well-being and work.

·£64 monthly could help fund one of our support workers to assist someone trapped in temporary accommodation in looking for affordable and settled housing.

·£100 monthly could buy a household starter kit, filled with essentials someone might not be able to afford, to help them settle into their new home.

Please search ‘Crisis at Christmas’ to make your donation. Here is how:

0800 999 2060                    Room 006, Freepost, Crisis at Christmas                     Scan the QR code

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A year after he died at the age of 17, a young man's love of helping others lives on. Through a foundation established by his parents, Benjamin Canlas is still making the world a better place.

The Benjamin Canlas Courage to be Kind Foundation gives away mountain bikes to Filipinos who are struggling to make ends meet.

Dr. Glennda Canlas and her husband created the foundation to remember their son and his kindness. One time, Benjamin saw a food seller riding a beat-up bicycle with its pedals missing. He used his own savings to replace them. After Benjamin's death, his parents saw a way to connect their private donors with those in need.

In the Philippines, many businesses have been closed and many jobs have been lost as a result of the coronavirus crisis. This has left thousands of Filipinos struggling to survive and many have to take odd jobs, which means traveling from one place to another. However, public transportation has been severely restricted. So many people have no choice but to complete those jobs on foot, walking hours in the sun or rain.

Benjamin's parents had the idea to give away bikes to deserving individuals nominated by their friends or coworkers. When the giveaway contest was announced, they received more than 50 nominations, all of which were then checked for truthfulness. And on July 11, 27 individuals got bicycles that would help make their lives a little less difficult. Even as the contest ended, nominations continued to come in. The foundation said there are people still in need and much work needs to be done.

"We live in a world where it still takes courage to be kind, " said Dr. Glennda Canlas, "The goal of the foundation is to help create a world where kindness does not require courage-it is simply the thing we all do."