The Rainbow Centre raised £4,000 through the Aviva Community Fund to help support the local people who need them most.

This drop-in community support centre supports around 120 people each day with everything from bereavement, addiction and homelessness to rising costs and redundancy. Whatever the need, The Rainbow Centre will do whatever they can to meet it. 

Since 2021 their referrals have risen by 50%, driven by the cost of living crisis impacting a community where there are low wages and seasonal jobs. 

To help relieve the strain, The Rainbow Centre provides emergency food parcels, vouchers for energy and food, clothes for job interviews, debt advice, support with accessing the right benefits, and much more – as well as compassion, empathy and simply someone to listen.

Gary, who previously used The Rainbow Centre and is now a volunteer, explains: “When I was homeless, they gave me a tent, a sleeping bag and other things. When I was hungry, I came for a food parcel. I used to come for a bit of warmth and a bit of belonging, really. The people at The Rainbow Centre are very caring.”

The £4,000 raised with the Aviva Community Fund will help kickstart a project to help vulnerable people mitigate the worst effects of the energy price rises, including:

• Completing financial assessments and solutions to help free people from debt
• Budgeting tools and energy-saving advice
• Cooking lessons and meal planning, including batch-cooking ‘one-pot meals’ and providing energy-efficient slow cookers

Manager Trish says: “When a person comes in, often they’re without hope… they go out happier, and they go out with hope that somebody’s listened, and somebody’s going to do something.”

See The Rainbow Centre’s website to read more about how they help people in Scarborough so they don’t have to choose between heating and eating. 

Does your local cause support people who are struggling with the cost of living crisis? Apply for our Cost of Living Boost today.