Deptford Methodist Mission, Disabled People’s Contact, known as the Deptford Mission, is a registered charity which aims to reduce isolation in elderly and disabled people. We run a Day Centre for elderly and disabled people – open on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday - and a charity shop that raises funds for our work. The object of our charity is to offer friendship, support and a sense of community to those who would otherwise be isolated by their personal circumstances. We aim to do this through meeting practical needs, but also by offering a place of welcome, concern and support to all who come along, be they members or volunteers!
Our Mission
To be person-centred.
To enable the development of self-esteem.
To facilitate the creation of healing relationships.
To meet the needs of disabled and elderly people, people with learning difficulties, and people who are looking to get back into work.
To nurture community, and through doing so to have an impact on the area in which we work.
Our Volunteers
Our volunteers help impact the lives of around 40 day centre members and allow them access to activities and trips which provide stimulation for mind and body and help to keep people healthy and to maintain independence.
The following volunteer roles are a key aspect to achieving our mission.
Day Centre volunteer
Minibus Driver
Passenger assistant
Kitchen assistant
Charity Shop volunteer
The most important way in which we achieve our aims is through our day centre. It is the work of our minibus drivers, passenger assistants, volunteers, our cook, and staff, who all ensure each member is valued, supported and comfortable in a warm and inclusive environment. We ensure that the mental and physical well-being of our members is maintained in a variety of different ways, by providing a space for social interaction, a variety of different activities such as bingo, exercises and gardening. As well as being provided with a fresh, home-cooked lunch and afternoon tea.
As well as the day centre, it is the work of our charity shop – The Well – which provides vital funding for our day centre. It is the work of our charity shop volunteers that ensure all donations, kindly provided by our local community, are sorted, priced, quality checked and ready for sale and that our charity shop runs smoothly.
Our volunteers are the sole reason that Deptford Mission can deliver the support and care to all our members, and it is our volunteers that make Deptford Mission what it is: a community. Deptford Mission is maintained by the variety of different roles offered to volunteers and it is in each one of these roles that members are placed at the very heart of what we do. It is this consistent understanding of our mission, from directors to staff to volunteers, that allows us to provide a place for our members to feel valued, in a place that recognises their individuality and to fulfil their desire to belong.