Middlesbrough charity celebrates milestone helping people in need
The Junction Multibank has handed out more than a million items
A Middlesbrough charity says they have handed out more than a million items to help those in need in the Tees Valley.
The Junction Multibank gets given surplus donations of essential goods from businesses, like bedding and towels, which is then given to people in poverty.
The milestone has been hit six months on since its launch.
Simon Nott, Manager of the Multibank, said: “One million items in six months is a staggering achievement. The Junction Multibank team have worked tirelessly to maximise the benefit we bring to those people that need the goods we provide. We are spurred on by the positive feedback we receive from those we help, families and individuals telling us how much we have helped them in some very difficult times. We will continue to provide as many goods as we can and make the biggest difference we can.”
Those at The Junction said: "We celebrate the hard work and success of our Multibank Team, the members of which include staff from The Junction Foundation and Amazon. Our Team have worked tirelessly to get the Multibank up and running and to ensure its success.
"This effort has enabled those supporting people experiencing poverty in Tees Valley to offer material support to those who need it on an unprecedented scale. We also celebrate the hard work of our referral partners, a mix of social workers, teachers, charities, community organisations, housing associations and other organisations which support those in need in the Tees Valley.
"Our referral partners access the Multibank’s support to form a coalition of compassion. Already the Multibank has a host of stories about supporting people experiencing some of the most challenging moments of their lives, from house fires, to moments of crisis including domestic violence and homelessness.
"It also ensures support for the every day essentials without which children’s childhoods are impacted at every level offering both dignity and hope."
According to a recent report from the End Childhood Poverty coalition, at least one in four children in the North East of England is growing up in poverty. The number is estimated to be even higher in Tees Valley with almost 50,000 children currently experiencing poverty. The Junction Multibank builds on The Junction Foundation’s established work supporting children, young people and families across Tees Valley and aims to ensure that no good product goes to waste, and no family goes without.
The Junction Multibank
The Junction Multibank is a community donation hub that receives essential items such as clothing, crockery, cleaning products, toiletries, towels, bedding and toys, that are donated by businesses including Amazon and delivers them to the people who most need them. The Junction Multibank is part of the Multibank movement founded by Amazon and Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
The Multibank processes donations from Amazon and other supporting businesses from a dedicated 12,000 sq. ft warehouse in Middlesbrough. Amazon is helping to deliver the warehouse operations, providing logistics expertise, tech support, and 7 team members from its fulfilment centre in Stockton-on-Tees working on-site for the first year of operation.
If you are a business who is in a position to support their mission to tackle poverty in Tees Valley or an individual who has time to spare to support us to get goods to people who need them, get in touch via their website.