Caritas

[Dominic]

Caritas Paphos don't have a charity shop. If you have a query about charity shops in the UK, you should really ask the UK charity shops.

And where is this BBC evidence? You really should provide a verifiable source before attacking charities.

[PaphosAL]

In the case of UK Charity Shops, the net figures are understandable. Whilst staffing is probably 100% voluntary, they still have to pay their eye-wateringly high Business Rates, Gas and Electric bills for heating and lighting, not to mention Insurance and Council trade waste disposal.

The ones that stick in my craw are the fat cats like Oxfam and WWF, occupying multi-million £ premises, packed full of all the latest IT gear, with 'executives' earning more than than the Prime Minister, and a car park full of Bentleys and Porsches.

For every £1 donated by the generous public, such charities oversee 1p paid to the target good cause...

AL

[glang3000]

Registered charities do not pay business rates in the UK, most employees work for free but they do pay rent and for utilities.

[Jimgward]

People provide premises on high streets free to charities as they avoid rates, which are payable even on empty properties,

Many/most charity shops pay staff, few have 100% volunteers, it’s easy to spot the difference. Large charities like Oxfam, `Heart Foundation etc pay salaries.

Caritas is one of the best at getting most money into where it’s needed. My personal favourite is Mary’s Meals, a charity close to my heart. The CEO is the founder and takes no salary. They feed millions of children. They spend 93p in every pound on where it matters.

[Aargent]

A charity we like, and gets the Annual Family Christmas Donation is ' Social Bite ' based in Edinburgh. The people who started it sold their business to fund the Start Up and nobody makes much money from it but thousands benefit. It is a model others can follow.

http://social-bite.co.uk/

[Mark]

I can only answer for Caritas Cyprus. 100% of all donations is spent on the recipients, they have no salaried employees, but unpaid volunteers provide the service.
I understand that on occasion they pay for petrol, but only when a volunteers car is used excessively.

It is a charity in every sense of the word!

[Jimgward]

I think Caritas does a great job.

[smudger]

The Paphiakos Bookshop in Tremithousa pays no one. With the exception of small amounts of rent, water, gas and electricity all income goes to the animals. And believe me, are stingy with the water, gas and electricity!

[Dominic]

I received this message today from Wendy:

Caritas Cyprus has branches in the main cities, with a central office in Nicosia. Caritas Nicosia and Caritas Larnaca have sought funding for major projects (e.g. shelters, or advice centres) from CRS America, Caritas Denmark and others, and they have some paid staff. Here in Paphos, we are supported by the generosity of individuals and small groups, and the great work of our volunteers. We do – sometimes - reimburse expenses, such as petrol, but it would be fair to say that virtually ALL the money donated is used directly for those in need. We have an arrangement with St. Michael’s Hospice Shop near St. Paul’s Church (Ayia Kyriaki) that donated items may be dropped there, and are kindly allowed use of some facilities above it in the Catholic parish office – e.g. the copier- but Caritas Paphos does not have an office, and it has no paid staff.

The needs are great. Just today, we had – among other needs -a call to help a Romanian national with a small baby, whose husband has deserted her, leaving her without electricity or water, and with no food in the house: also to help 3 new refugees, one Somali woman and two from Cameroon, with the steps (3 government offices) to get duly registered and start on the road to a new life. They will need ongoing help with language,food, clothes, medical care, transport...and more government systems. Volunteers welcome!

Thanks to all our helpers- you make a real difference.

Wendy Burdon (Chairman, Caritas Paphos)