Mercy In Action: Feeding the Homeless, Clothing the Naked... and Fantastic Charity Shops!
A spontaneous restaurant trip to feed homeless boys in the Philippines, during a mission trip signalled the beginnings of Bath based charity 'Mercy In Action'. Now operating nine charity shops - with five in Bath - charity founder Allison Todd tells us how MIA began and her mission to 'feed the hungry and clothe the naked'. Read her touching 'Q & A' interview...And find out how you can get involved with this fantastic charity.
Read her exciting 'Q & A' interview with Emma!
(PICTURES: MERCY IN ACTION'S REFITTED CHELSEA ROAD SHOP, MIA LOGO,ALLISON AN
D JOHN TODD CHILDREN AT THE RUBBISH DUMP, JUST GIVE LOGO, HAPPY CHILDREN'S HOME, HOUSE BUILDING AND HOSPITAL FACILITIES )
Mercy In Action was set up in 1995, what prompted this dynamic project?
We were out with a team from Bath visiting a church; we’d both been previously 
and had fallen in love with the country and its people! However, we felt slightly uncomfortable helping for a fortnight and then leaving....There was so much need. It felt wrong to leave without doing more. Before we got there we’d prayed and asked God to show us very specifically if there was something we should do. That seems a bit odd looking back as there was lots we could have done!
However, we were out one evening and as we walked with the pastor, five boys ran across the road and asked her for food. She told us that she’d helped them before but didn’t have enough money to feed the children in her care let alone these boys. We were outside a small restaurant so we took them in, (to the annoyance of the staff) and bought them chicken and rice. At the end of the meal the boys, who hadn’t eaten in the previous three days, wrapped up the chicken bones in the banana leaves they had been served in. When we commented on their tidiness we were told that they were taking these away as it would be tomorrow’s dinner! We were so shocked and upset. We had children of our own and couldn’t imagine them being in such need, so we told them that we would meet them at the same time the following day. We did this every evening for the following week with the number of boys growing steadily to 18.
We knew as
soon as we met them that we had to do something longer term to help. We hadn’t realized quite how dangerous our prayer had been! The experience moved us deeply and made us realize that God calls each of us to care for those who are hungry, naked and homeless. We didn’t realize through that our lives would never be the same again.
I was in touch with one of those boys recently; he is 25 now and following school and college he has been able to get a job as a manager of a shop. He earns good money and now supports his mum and younger siblings.
What happened next? Did you get back to England and set up MIA immediately?
As we’d committed ourselves to raising £40 a month we started by telling family and friends about our experience. We had no idea of how it would grow or that we’d 
ever register as a charity. It wasn’t until 2000 that we started the process. I think if we’d known what was ahead we would quite possibly have crossed over to the other side of the road and not spoken with the boys at all! Setting up a charity was certainly not something on our 'to do' list, and not something I’d recommend for the faint hearted!
What gave you the idea for charity shops?
We were offered the chance to take over a lease from a charity several years ago. We said a very tentative 'yes' as we had no retail experience at all, but have never looked back.
We have nine shops - five of which are in the Bath area; Chelsea road, Larkhall, Bear flat, Peasedown St John, and Midsommer Norton. There are five in the Milton Keynes area, and we are about to open a tenth in Cheltenham.
How do the shops operate?
At a guess I’d say we have around 150 volunteers, some work a couple of hours a week and some work 20 or more! We really couldn’t manage without them. We always have a need for more volunteers, though some shops have limited space and may only need help on specific days.
How many people are involved in the MIA team?
At the UK end we keep to the absolute minimum. Apart from the shops side of 
operations we have only one full-time member of staff; Joanne. She runs the office and is the voice on the end of the phone. We are currently hoping to appoint a part time community fundraiser so some of my time can be freed up for other things. I work as I always have, as a volunteer.
In the Philippines we have a staff of about 15 - all but one is Filipino (and she is our daughter Emily who is married to a Filipino. She and Tim now oversee all the work there).
All our workers are salaried and are paid fair wages, and receive health insurance and holiday pay. We don’t expect them to supplement our work by exploiting them in any way. We also have volunteers from the UK who give their time to come and work with us.
I see you have projects in the Philippines, Burma and the UK - is the main thrust of all the projects to get homeless children off the streets, fed and educated?
We do support a small project in Burma and the UK but the main thrust is The Philippines. Our dream is to reach children who have been abandoned, abused, neglected or forgotten and see them restored through shelter, food, education and masses of love! Each one needs to know they have a hope and a future and as they are set on this path we hope to see lives, families and entire communities transformed. Every one of these children was created in God’s image and has so much potential. We reach the children and their families through a number of projects. The drop in centre is the first point of contact for those living on the street but we run a children’s village, schooling programmes, community projects, providing housing, medical aid and pastoral and practical help. We employ social workers who ensure that those we help are genuinely in need as well as liaising with the appropriate government agencies and making sure we keep within the law with all we do.
Have your charity and projects grown quickly since 1995?
It was very slow to begin with but that suited us just fine. We had no long term 
plans or strategy for the future. The fastest growth has been in the last four years especially since opening up our drop in centre in Cebu where we have seen huge improvements within the community; for instance, when we first went there, the area was full of drug dens where children as young as eight years old would sniff glue.
Juvenile crime was very high and few of the local children were in school. The local people say there are no drugs dens there now and all but a few children are in school or on our literacy programme . As a result juvenile crime has dropped significantly.
What will the shop refit in Chelsea Road mean to MIA?
It’s always been a hugely popular shop but I’m sure it’ll attract more customers than ever.
Do you think in today's financial climate that MIA's shops are more popular and more useful to communities?
Most definitely! We are all aware of the impact of commercialism on our world - both environmentally and financially. Charity shops are a way we can all recycle, save money ourselves and cut down on waste. Don’t we all love a bargain, and our shops are full of them?! I certainly love shopping in them myself.
How can readers help support your projects? Child sponsorship? Donations? Volunteering?
All of the above! Despite our successful shops we do spend money as fast as we 
raise it and we have some very big dreams that only need finances to see them happen! For example although we run a drop in centre for children who live on the streets we are unable to offer them any help at night.
We would love to open a night shelter to ensure their safety at night. The biggest complaint I hear from our workers is their frustration at saying goodbye to the kids at the end of each day. Not knowing what the night holds for them and if we’ll ever see them again. Any help at any level is always greatly appreciated.
Do you often lead groups to the areas where you have projects; overseas?
Yes, we frequently have teams going out to see the work for themselves. Not only to see but to help too. Everyone has something to offer and of course they’ll come back having been touched by the love and friendships they encounter along the way. We are no longer able to lead every group ourselves but as from September we’ll have a hospitality manager in Cebu to look after teams and individuals who visit.
Final words?
The only thing left to say is that I wouldn't ever want anyone to think that the children and families we are privileged to work with are in any way less than anyone else. That just because there are poor, neglected and forgotten doesn't meant they don't have dreams and aspirations of their own. They don't need or want pity; they need understanding and opportunities. They are resilient, hopeful, amazing and always make us laugh. They don't feel sorry for themselves even though they know that the future could well be bleak, they share what little they have, they are grateful for everything and when given the chance they work hard. At school they surprise us with their hidden abilities and when they pray they expect God to hear them. I believe that he has ...I think I'll leave it there.