The Matthew Tree Project

24/12/2025

Working to end poverty in the UK.

That has always been the purpose of The Matthew Tree Project.

When we began, poverty was treated as an emergency to be managed — food parcels, short-term relief, moving people on as quickly as possible.

We believed something different.

That poverty could be ended — not by addressing problems in isolation, but by working with the whole person and the whole picture of their life.

Our difference was not the issues we tackled — debt, housing insecurity, trauma, isolation, poor mental health — but how we tackled them.

People told their story once.
They were met with one trusted relationship.
And support was brought together around them — joined-up, holistic, and paced in a way they could cope with.

Not services in silos.
Not crisis after crisis.
But a full, wraparound response that treated people with dignity and belief.

What once seemed radical is now widely recognised as what works.

Poverty is not inevitable.
We have the knowledge.
We have the means.

What remains is the collective will.

Working to end poverty in the UK.

22/12/2025

Preventing homelessness is preventing crisis becoming catastrophe.

When someone comes to The Matthew Tree Project, they are often on the brink — struggling with food & fuel insecurity, debt, isolation, poor mental health, and housing instability.

If that support doesn’t come in time, the cost — human and financial — escalates fast.

👉 The average public cost of someone becoming homeless is around £20,000.
👉 At The Matthew Tree Project, we can often help someone stabilise their life for around £4,000 per person, covering food, fuel, advocacy, mental health support and practical help — before homelessness takes hold.

That is what prevention looks like.
That is what dignity looks like.

Over the past 15 years, we’ve helped more than 15,000 people rebuild their lives — quietly, compassionately, and effectively.

We are now in the final days of our Winter Appeal, and demand has never been higher.

If you’re able to support us, your donation helps keep people housed, fed, supported — and out of crisis.

If you can’t donate, sharing this post really does help.

Thank you for believing in prevention.
Thank you for standing with us.

👉 Donate here: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/nochildforgotten2025

19/12/2025

I wrote this during a time in my life when everything felt like it was falling apart.

It comes from lived experience — the internal battle that happens long before someone asks for help.

Many of the people who come through The Matthew Tree Project are fighting this same battle right now, often in silence.

This is what crisis feels like from the inside.

No ask. Just truth.

19/12/2025

Moments like this happen at The Matthew Tree Project.

People sit together.
Laugh.
Share a proper meal.
Feel seen.
Feel safe.
Feel like they belong.

For many of the people we support, this isn’t “a nice extra”.
It’s a rare moment of relief in lives shaped by crisis — poverty, trauma, isolation, and uncertainty.

This is why The Matthew Tree Project exists.

It’s not just food.
It’s:
• preventing homelessness
• improving mental health
• reducing isolation and loneliness
• helping families stabilise their finances
• supporting children to do better at school
• restoring dignity and hope

This winter, demand for our support is rising — and our funding is under real pressure.

If you believe moments like this matter…
If you believe people deserve support before crisis becomes catastrophe…

Please consider donating today.

Every gift — £10, £25, £50 — helps us keep this work going and reach people when they need us most.

If you’re unable to donate, sharing this post really does help.

👉 Donate here: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/nochildforgotten2025

Thank you for standing with us.
Thank you for believing that everyone deserves to feel seen.

Help ensure no child feels forgotten this Christmas. Your support will provide emergency food, crisis support and hope to families in hardship this winter.

18/12/2025

Yesterday, moments like this happened — across the room.

People sat together.
Laughed.
Ate a proper meal.
Felt seen.
Felt safe.
Felt like they belonged.

For many of the people in this room, this wasn’t “a nice extra”.
It was a rare moment of relief in lives shaped by crisis — poverty, trauma, isolation, and uncertainty.

This is why The Matthew Tree Project exists.

It’s not just food.
It’s:
• preventing homelessness
• improving mental health
• reducing isolation and loneliness
• helping families stabilise their finances
• supporting children to do better at school
• restoring dignity and hope

We are now in the final 7 days of our Winter Appeal.

Right now, we’ve raised £470 of our £20,000 target.

That gap is frightening — but the need hasn’t gone away.

If you believe moments like this matter…
If you believe people deserve support before crisis becomes catastrophe…

Please donate today.
Every gift — £10, £25, £50 — helps us keep this work going.

If you are able to give, please consider donating today.
If you can’t, please consider sharing this post.

Every act of support — however small — helps keep moments like this possible.

👉 Donate here: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/nochildforgotten2025

Thank you for standing with us.
Thank you for believing that everyone deserves to feel seen.

17/12/2025

This is why The Matthew Tree Project exists.

Every winter, families come to us at breaking point — struggling not just with food, but with isolation, mental health, housing insecurity, and the pressure of trying to hold life together.

Our Rebuilding Lives work supports people through crisis and helps them move forward with dignity.

This Christmas, demand has surged — and so have our costs.

We’ve launched our Winter Appeal: No Child Forgotten, with a target of £20,000.

🎄 If you believe no child — and no family — should be forgotten this Christmas, please donate today.

👉 https://justgiving.com/campaign/nochildforgotten2025

Thank you for watching. Thank you for caring.

16/12/2025

Today, our community is coming together for a Christmas meal made possible by the generosity of others.

We’re incredibly grateful to AND Digital, who have organised and funded today’s Community Christmas Meal for our clients, volunteers and staff.

It’s moments like this — shared food, warmth, and connection — that remind us why community matters so much, especially at this time of year.

We’ll share more later in the week.
For now, we simply want to say thank you.

💛

15/12/2025

As we move into the second half of our Winter Appeal, we want to pause for a moment — not to slow down, but to be clear.

Every day, The Matthew Tree Project helps people move from crisis towards stability:
• preventing homelessness
• improving mental and physical health
• reducing isolation
• supporting children to thrive at school
• helping households regain control of their finances

This is what Rebuilding Lives looks like — quietly, consistently, and with dignity.

Winter is still incredibly hard for many of the people we support.
If you are able to help today, your donation makes a real and immediate difference.

Thank you for standing with us. 💛

👉 Donate here: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/nochildforgotten2025

13/12/2025

As we move into the second half of our Winter Appeal, we want to pause for a moment — and be clear about what the next week looks like.

Over the coming days, families and individuals will be coming through our doors needing very practical support: food they can rely on, essentials to keep their homes running, and a place where they are treated with dignity and care.

This winter has already been harder than many expected. For some, asking for help is the very last option — and that’s where we step in.

Right now, the most immediate need is making sure no one we support goes without the basics this winter. That’s food on the table, warmth at home, and stability during what can be a very isolating time of year.

If you were considering helping — even in a small way — this is where your support will make a direct and immediate difference.

Thank you for standing with us, and for being part of a community that believes no one should be forgotten this winter.

👉 https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/nochildforgotten2025

12/12/2025

Tonight, we want to pause — just for a moment — to say thank you.

Over the past few days, individuals, families, workplaces and community groups across Bristol have quietly stepped forward to help make sure no child is forgotten this Christmas.

These gifts and food donations will bring warmth, dignity and joy to children and families who are facing an incredibly difficult winter.

To everyone who has given — whether publicly or privately — please know this: your kindness matters more than you may ever realise.

From all of us at The Matthew Tree Project, thank you for standing with families in crisis. 💛

12/12/2025

“When life fell apart, she didn’t shout.
She didn’t ask for much.
She just held it all in and tried to stay strong.”

Every week, women just her this walk through our doors — exhausted, isolated, and doing everything they can to keep going.

This winter, hundreds of local families are facing crisis alone.

Your kindness means they don’t have to.
A £10 gift today can put food back in a kitchen that’s been empty for days.

❤️ Please don’t look away.
Give what you can:
🔗 https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/nochildforgotten2025

Help ensure no child feels forgotten this Christmas. Your support will provide emergency food, crisis support and hope to families in hardship this winter.

11/12/2025

Sometimes life falls apart quietly.
And sometimes, it drops you to your knees.

When Steve came to The Matthew Tree Project, he was at rock bottom.
Lonely, exhausted, and unsure how to keep going.

But with support, dignity, and a safe place to turn, he started to rebuild — step by step, week by week.

“When I was at rock bottom, you picked me up and supported me.” — Steve

Right now, there are many more Steves standing exactly where he once stood.
Winter is pushing people to breaking point.
Families are struggling in ways that stay hidden until the moment they can’t cope.

If you’re able, please help.
Every donation — big or small — gives someone a chance to stand up again.

👉 https://justgiving.com/campaign/nochildforgotten2025