A LOCAL Bakery’s continued running of a pay it forward scheme has now seen many boxes of warm clothing donated to those who are homeless and in need this winter.

Owner of the Dartmoor Bakery Avis Jones put this idea into motion following the success of first running the pay it forward scheme in July, where customers could purchase food or drink for someone to claim in the near future. The scheme was extended to then cover free children’s lunches in the holidays and providing free soup meals for the elderly and those in need in the Horrabridge and Yelverton communities throughout the autumn and winter months. Avis however also wished for people to be able to purchase warm clothing such as hats, scarves and gloves to then be given to those who need them.

This idea has proved to be another success, with a total of four boxes worth of warm clothing having now been filled since the scheme began back in November.

Avis said: ‘Our lovely customers have filled two boxes of warm items to help out some of the homeless in the space of just one week. We were able to hand over ten hats, 16 pairs of socks, three pairs of gloves and four neck warmers to the Charles Cross policing team who delivered them to the Shekinah Mission charity, where they will be distributed needing them.’

The two most recent boxes were passed over to police when they visited the bakery before starting their early morning shift in which they often work with the homeless and Shekinah.

Helping those in need has always been a huge focus for both Avis and the bakery. Recently, Avis camped out overnight at the Eden Project to gain greater insight into the difficulties the homeless face, also raising over £200 for Cornish homeless charity St Petrocs in the process.

Avis said: ‘This scheme has gone really well, it’s lovely to see how many things have been bought. Our customers who choose to purchase warm clothing can choose their items, we then take them off the display and put it in the box to be passed on. For example, someone asks to buy a hat and some people can write messages to go with their donation too.

‘We’ve always been involved since we started here, helping people who are less fortunate in anyway we can, even just donating food to the soup run in Plymouth - I’ve been wanting to do this for a few years now so it’s great that we’re finally moving with it. I can think about even just feeling how cold our hands get when taking items from the freezer and then thinking, there are people outdoors facing tempatures like these with nothing - we just need to do something to help.’

Going forward, Avis plans to continue running the warm clothing donations throughout the winter months.

Avis added: ‘Thank you to all of our customers who have generously donated so far. We still have a few items left if you’d like to give someone a gift of warmth this year. Pop into the bakery or visit: https://dartmoorbakery.com’