A Major Upsurge in Applications to the Society will increase expenditure on grants by over £55,000!
There has been a major upsurge in grant applications to the Society. This year 75 new families have been accepted for regular help. In previous years the number of new families was around 50 per year or under. In 2017 to date there have been 166 applications for exceptional grants. The total exceptional grants for all of 2016 was 121.
Dr Paul Gray, Executive Secretary of the Society, commenting on the upsurge, said
“An increase of 44 per cent in regular grant applications and over 37 per cent in exceptional grant applications is unprecedented in recent years. I think the increases are partly a reflection of a change in the Society’s image and profile and partly an indication of the economic vulnerability of some Presbyterian families and their children.”
The Society continues to encourage Ministers to use its service as a means of helping children and families. Dr Gray also commented,
“We are living in challenging times and the Society is regularly supporting almost 100 more children than it did at the start of 2017. Our response to requests for help is compassionate and instant – almost all grant requests receive a same day response. You could say that our compassionate attitude is free but out caring response is never cheap. Helping an additional 100 children will cost the Society around £55,000 more in 2018 and therefore we continue to rely on the prayerful and financial support of congregations and individuals to help Presbyterian children and their families."
If you are interested in knowing more about the work of the Society, or would like to support the Society’s work then please contact the office on 028 9032 3737 or by emailing info@presbyterianchildrenssociety.org.