MADM joins Voucher Magpie: how your shopping can help people in crisis in Maidstone

Making A Difference To Maidstone has joined Voucher Magpie. From today, you can choose it as your cause, and whenever you shop through one of our codes or deals, we'll give 50% of the commission the shop pays us to the charity. You pay the same price and still get your discount.

MADM is a Christian charity in Maidstone that supports individuals and families going through a crisis, whether through homelessness, domestic abuse, addiction, money worries or a relationship breaking down. Its outreach work is paid for largely by its charity shop on the High Street.

At a glance

• Who: Making A Difference To Maidstone (MADM), registered charity 1169055, based on Church Street and the High Street in Maidstone.
• What it does: runs an outreach centre and the King's Pantry food bank for people referred by local services, plus a charity superstore and a furniture restoration project.
• How to help through us: choose MADM on its page, then shop as normal.
• What it costs you: nothing. The money comes out of our commission, not your basket.

From a bicycle shed to the old Argos

MADM began in a bicycle shed, storing clothes for the Maidstone Churches' Winter Shelter. Garages on the Shepway estate, stalls in the Mall and pop-up shops followed, before its first permanent shop and office opened at 49 Church Street. It became a charitable company in 2015 and was entered on the Charity Commission register in September 2016.

When lockdown closed both shops in 2020, MADM partnered with Maidstone Borough Council's Covid-19 Mutual Aid and turned the Church Street shop into an outreach centre for food and household basics. By the end of 2020 it had supported more than 2,000 individuals and families.

In November 2021 it moved its shop and storage into the former Argos building on the High Street, which the then Mayor, Cllr Fay Gooch, opened on 4 November.

What MADM does today

The Outreach Centre on Church Street is open five days a week. People are referred by organisations such as Social Services, the NHS, Kent Police and Maidstone Borough Council. MADM helps with furniture, food, clothes and household items, and offers mentoring and advocacy. It says more people affected by domestic abuse are coming to it, for beds and kitchen items as well as a safe place to talk.

The King's Pantry food bank works from a shopping list, so people get food, toiletries and cleaning products they'll actually use. Its van collects surplus food from local supermarkets, so it can offer fresh fruit and vegetables. Schools can refer families too, and MADM volunteers run a weekly Bread and Butter Thing food club at Trinity Foyer.

Its Lovingly Restored project saves furniture from the Tovil household waste centre, a first pilot in Kent with Kent County Council. Its own figures for 2026 so far include 1,287 bags of food given. The Charity Commission register lists 6 trustees and 38 volunteers, and income of £455,409 for the year to 31 May 2025.

How your shopping helps: a worked example

Say you spend £50 a month on clothes and homeware at a shop that pays us 4% commission. That's £2.00 commission, and £1.00 of it goes to MADM. Over a year, £12 comes from shopping you were doing anyway.

If 100 supporters did the same, MADM would get £1,200 a year. Commission rates differ from shop to shop, and some shops pay more on certain products, so your own total may be higher or lower.

What you can do now

1. Choose MADM. Go to its page on Voucher Magpie and tap Choose. You don't need an account; we remember it on your device.
2. Shop for the home through us. Gousto has 50% off your first Gousto box. For household bits, Robert Dyas has free standard delivery on orders over £40 and free Click & Collect in 1 hour. Matalan has up to 50% off in the sale, with free click and collect on orders over £19.99.
3. Use it for everything else too. Clothes, holidays, broadband and gifts all count, so MADM gains whenever you shop through us.
4. Volunteer. MADM's volunteer form lists roles at the King's Pantry, as a van mate, mentor or supporter, in the charity shop and warehouse, and restoring furniture.
5. Donate goods or money. If you're local, drop off clothes, household items or tinned and dried food at the shop at 28 High Street. You can also give once or monthly on Crowdfunder.

Questions

Does choosing MADM cost me anything?

No. The shop pays us a commission for sending it your order, and we give half of it to MADM. Your price and your discount stay the same.

When does MADM get the money?

A shop confirms a sale, usually 30 to 90 days after the order, once the return period has passed. We pay each cause its confirmed commission every quarter.

Can I go to MADM for help myself?

MADM works by appointment and needs a referral from a professional such as a support worker. It aims to contact people within 72 hours of a referral. Its referrals page also lists other help in Maidstone for anyone who needs support sooner.

Can I change my cause later?

Yes, any time, from any cause's page. Your future shopping then goes to the new cause.

Sources: MADM: about us, our history, Outreach Centre, King's Pantry, ways to donate, referrals, Charity Commission: charity 1169055