Most people spend a good few weeks, months sometimes, looking forward to Christmas - buying presents, planning menus, and generally getting into the festive spirit. Unfortunately though, not everybody gets to enjoy the Christmas period. For many who are living on the streets or are on very low incomes Christmas is an extremely difficult time of year. According to a report by the charity Crisis almost one in ten people say they have been homeless at some point. Crisis also points out that all forms of homelessness have risen due to the effects of the economic recession of recent years as well as the continuing shortage of housing in the UK. It became obvious to us at Jack’s beans that providing help and support to the homeless people in the UK is more important than ever. So, this year the Jack’s beans Coffee Company has partnered with Localgiving to bring some festive cheer to the very people that need it the most. Jack’s beans is getting festive and our first ever Christmas Cup will be on sale across the UK in independent newsagents and convenience stores from 1st November 2016. The best bit is that 5 pence from every cup of Jack’s beans that is sold will be donated to a selection of regional charities that are part of the Localgiving network. Jack’s beans and Localgiving have identified fourteen charities to share the proceeds from the Christmas Cup campaign Each of the charities will use the funds to provide a hot meal, warm jacket or simply somewhere for a homeless person to sleep during this Christmas period. Every little bit helps and by selling as many Christmas cups of Jack’s beans delicious coffee or hot chocolate we can really make a difference to homeless people this Christmas time. Jack’s beans is a barista style, self-serve coffee that uses only fair trade beans. Jack’s beans is proud to be served by independent retailers across the country. We are keen to unite local communities through the Jack’s beans brand and working the Localgiving on our Christmas Cup Campaign really helps us to this.    Look out for your nearest Jack’s beans machine and join in with our festive giving. We really want to make a difference to as many people as we can this Christmas. The more cups we sell, the more people we can help. Go on, grab a Jack’s beans! List of charities: Launchpad Reading CHAS (Bristol) Housing Advice Service Churches Housing Action Team (CHAT) Mid-Devon Ltd 1625 Independent People Camrose Quaker Homeless Action The Northampton Hope Centre Doorstep Homeless Families Project The House of Bread Open Door Stoke-on-Trent Big Breakfast +  Milton Keynes YMCA Step by Step The Vine Centre Natalie Waters is Digital Marketing Executive for Smiths News. UWE graduate & CIPR diploma holder who loves all things social media. Found this blog post useful? You may also like:      The Power of the Twitter Hour by Richard Barker4 Steps to the perfect charity VideoHow Small charities can overcome barriers to brand investment