THE family of missing nine-year-old Shannon Matthews have been involved in a number of events this week in a bid to raise money for the appeal and keep Shannon's disappearance in the public eye.
Speaking on the BBC Radio 4 Today programme on Wednesday, Shannon's mum, Karen, said she believed someone she knows has snatched her daughter to hurt her.
Ms Matthews, 32, told the programme she thought the little girl had been kidnapped because there was no trace of her swimming kit, which she was holding when recorded on CCTV leaving Dewsbury Sports Centre, on Tuesday February 19.
Shannon's stepfather Craig Meehan drew a sharp contrast between their family and that of missing Madeleine McCann.
He said: "It's two families from two different backgrounds that shouldn't really get compared – basically, a poor family and a rich family.
"To me, they (the McCanns) are like celebrities in other people's eyes.
"They've got money, they know celebrities and all that, so they can afford to do everything they do, everything they can.
"We're trying to do what we can with the money we've got, with the resources we've got."
Mr Meehan's comments come after a week of public events, including a sponsored walk which took place on Tuesday night to mark three weeks since Shannon went missing, and a website dedicated to the appeal www.helpfindshannon.org.uk was launched containing all the details of the appeal and how to make a donation.
West Yorkshire Police are continuing to dedicate massive resources into finding Shannon, in the biggest hunt for a missing person the force has seen in 25 years.
House to house inquiries are still ongoing and police are continuing to interview members of the public.
More than half of the country's specialist victim recovery dogs have been drafted in to aid the search. The dogs can detect anything from a person to a small drop of blood.
Det Supt Andy Brennan, who is leading the investigation, said: "We are continuing to use all the specialist resources available to us. It is believed there are only 27 specialist victim recovery dogs in the UK and we are utilising 16 of them in the search for Shannon.
"We are continuing to locate and interview all outstanding family members and individuals who may have been in a relationship with these people.
"Again I would like people to think back to the afternoon of Tuesday February 19 when Shannon was last seen. Were you picking up your own children from school that afternoon or were you travelling in and around Church Lane close to Heckmondwike Road? Did you see Shannon? Please get in touch with us if you did."
Anyone with any information is asked to contact the incident room urgently on 01274 373737, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.