Lent begins on Wednesday 17th February and whether you normally mark this 40-day period of preparation for Easter or not, or simply enjoy a few pancakes on Shrove Tuesday, this time of year provides an opportunity to do some good for yourself and the wider community. 

Why not use this time to make a difference to some of Southend’s most vulnerable people by raising money for HARP’s work with local people who are homeless or at risk of losing their home? Here are 12 ideas to get you started: 
 

Pancake Day
 

Host a Virtual Pancake Party – Get your family and friends together online and have a virtual pancake brunch, lunch or dinner on Pancake Day (Tuesday 16th February) and ask for donations for HARP in return for good food and good company. 
 

Have a Pancake “Flipathon” – Could you do 100 pancake flips in a row? Why not have a pancake Flipathon and compete to see how many pancakes you can flip? You can even turn it into a virtual competition between households and charge an entry fee or get sponsored per flip and donate the money raised to HARP. 
 

Have a Pancake Race – A great one for schools wanting to get their pupils active! It’s like an egg and spoon race, but with pancakes in frying pans instead. Simply invite a donation to HARP as the entry “fee”. But please make sure you let the pancakes cool down before the first race!
 

Hold a Pancake Sale – Make and sell takeaway pancakes with a choice of toppings and sell them to neighbours and colleagues, with the proceeds going to HARP. Make sure you're set up to allow for social distancing of course! 
 

During Lent (17th February – 3rd April)
 

Create a Make a Change Jar – Choose a special jar or container of your choice to empty your loose change into at the end of each day. At the end of Lent simply donate the contents of your jar to HARP. You’d be surprised how your loose change can add up to make a real change. If you’re feeling creative you can even decorate your jar and share a photo on social media – be sure to tag HARP. 
 

Give Up and Give Back – If you are setting yourself the challenge to give something up this Lent you could ask friends to sponsor you for every day you are successful in sticking to your commitment. Knowing your efforts are all making a difference to the people who come to HARP for help will give you the extra motivation to see it through. 
 

Set Up a Facebook Fundraiser for Lent – It’s easy to set up a Facebook Fundraiser and all the money raised will come to HARP. Just set it up to be active over the Lent period and share it with your Facebook friends.  
 

Run 40 Miles in 40 Days – Ask friends and family to sponsor you to run 40 miles over the 40-day Lent period in aid of HARP. Whether you run a mile a day, build up your running distances over Lent until it adds up to 40 miles, split it between a set number of longer runs, or run all 40 miles in one go, you can tailor this challenge to your own fitness level and go for it! Set up a JustGiving fundraising page here.

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Easter and Beyond
 

Host an Easter Egg Hunt – Fun for children and adults alike, hide eggs around your organisation’s building or grounds and ask for a small donation for HARP from each person taking part. You could even give a prize to the person or team who collects the most eggs. 
 

Have an Easter Raffle – Collect a range of Easter eggs and other treats, or even create an Easter hamper, and sell raffle tickets to give your family, friends and colleagues the chance to win something special and support HARP at the same time. 
 

Join our Virtual Spring Walk & Wildlife Experience over the Easter Holidays – This year we can't host our usual Spring Walk along the Prittle Brook but you can still take part in our special virtual version. Find out more and register here.
 

Set up a Regular Donation for HARP – By giving a regular gift to HARP you help us to ensure that our work helping local people to escape or avoid homelessness continues throughout the year, enabling us to better plan our spending on frontline services for those who need us most. Set up your gift here. 
 

How will you help HARP make a difference this Lent and beyond? 
 

However big or small your Lent fundraising activity, your support makes a big difference to our work, helping us to ensure that the people of Southend can get off the streets – and stay off them. Thank you for your support!
 

Did you know?
 

Although the Lent period is a officially 40 days, it actually starts 46 days before the Saturday of the Easter weekend. However, Sundays are not included as these are counted as celebration days.
 

Thank you for your support!