Meet the refugee who gave up his winter coat

Today I witnessed something I’ll never forget. During our distribution near Slough I met a man from Yemen who was thrilled to find a lovely winter coat in his favourite colour. It fit him so well, as if it was made for him. Then he spotted another guy wearing nothing but a thin long-sleeved shirt.

Our distribution was already winding down by that point, so we didn’t have much left. All the winter coats had been taken. I wanted to help the man with no coat but it would have to wait until our next visit. Or so I thought.

All of a sudden the Yemeni man walked over to him, took off his brand-new coat and gave it to the man. I couldn’t understand what was happening. For a second I thought maybe he didn’t actually like the coat that much. When he came back I asked him if that was the case, but he said no. He told me he already has a jacket he can wear and that the coat fit the other man much better.

Good winter coats are hard to come by and are usually the first to go during distribution, so this act of solidarity was so heartening to see.

People who have been at this hotel for a while are close friends by now, so of course they will help each other. But I think there is more to it than that. When you know what it’s really like to feel cold or hungry, you will do everything in your power to stop others from feeling that way too.

This winter our goal is to keep every single refugee warm. If you have a coat that you no longer wear, please donate it now to help someone in need. Or help us buy one for just £20 at care4calais.org/coats4calais