We see our service as topping up and bridging gaps for those in need whilst awaiting benefits such as food bank vouchers, PIP Personal Independence Payment, we are their ‘STOP GAP’ go to.

Smiles2Smiles (S2S) help vulnerable community members in England focusing on the locality of Surrey.

Examples include:

Ill health, terminal illness and those living with disability -

• S2S funded a wedding for a terminally ill lady who died 7 days later, the ring, cake, food, bedding, flowers, wedding attire, decorations and keepsake jewellery.
• S2S help a family where the mother has a long-term illness and food is supplied when required, new bed provided, supplies of pandemic PPE.
• A single mother with two children waiting for a double knee operation and was disabled of walking for a long time in pandemic and was made redundant, school uniform, equipment and shoes supplied, regular food top ups, gas and electricity top ups.
• Single mother with terminal cancer and her son has disability with feet, when social housing moved them into a bigger property S2S fully furnished the house out including soft furnishing and kitchen appliances as well as food supplies.
• A family of a young boy with kidney failure on dialysis and on benefits, S2S supplies food top ups.

Bereavement, foster families, homeless, women’s refuge, domestic violence –

• When a local family lost their 9-month-old baby to SID’s S2S provided them with donations for the baby’s brother to assist with his bereavement and give him a smile at Christmas.
• S2S helped a mother of two who lost her sister and took on the sisters three children making her a foster carer as the foster children’s father is currently in prison. Mainly food supplies and school schools and uniform.
• S2S helped a homeless man on the village green a tent, food supplies, warm clothing, radio until he was homed which was delayed due to pandemic.
• S2S also supports a charity in Kingston who look after the homeless by supplying sleeping bags, toiletries, blankets, warm clothing, shoes.
• S2S also supports and works with the women’s refuges and one example of help was to a single mother with six children, who was relocated into a new area for domestic violence safety reasons. The social housing had not provided a floor and it was so was cold for the children that S2S had an insulated floor fitted throughout the ground floor. Also, a regular supply of food top ups and nappies were provided until her benefits kicked in.
• S2S also works with the police domestic violence unit and recently furnished a flat and supplied food of a relocated single mother and new baby after domestic violence issues. We could only attend to her using only a couple of female volunteers and with a great deal of sensitivity and confidentiality.

During the pandemic S2S put out a plea for gifts for the emergency services – S2S delivered hampers with sweet treats, hand cream, flowers etc as a huge thank you for their tireless efforts in the community to care home staff, police stations, fire brigades, vaccination centres, NHS staff and council offices. S2S also joined forces with local restaurants and pubs in lock down, whom cooked the hot food and S2S it delivered to the people schools and social services had flagged S2S to help and it replaced school dinners during the home-schooling period.

S2S also work with Meals On Wheels to supply a Christmas and Easter gift to all their clients as the majority are alone over these times.