How your donation helps

It contained a book, a tennis racket, a DVD, a shirt, a tea pot, a photo frame and a dress. Most of Lucy's goods were priced up and put in the shop. When Lucy's items sold they raised £35 and because she'd tagged her bag, Oxfam claimed Gift Aid on Lucy's donation making it worth £43.75 in total. Lucy had linked her Nectar card so she received 70 Nectar points on the sale of her goods.

We work hard to make as much money as possible from donated items. Sometimes it's better to recycle or reuse items if they're damaged or won't sell in our shops. In these cases customers won't collect Nectar points but the items will still be helping Oxfam to fight poverty..

Immediately after the earthquake in Haiti in 2010, Oxfam's emergency programme swung into action, helping thousands of people like Joseph Dessources and his family. £40 kept disease at bay and provided Joseph and his family with an Oxfam hygiene kit containing a basin, soap, and other life saving items - as well as health and hygiene advice. All products were locally sourced, so producers nearby benefited too.

Another £40 set Joseph up with a micro loan and got him and his family back on their feet. A tailor by profession, Joseph used the loan to buy a new, foot-powered sewing machine to replace the equipment he lost in the earthquake, which helped him re-start his shop and start earning again.

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