John Lewis Partnership launches £1m community support fund
Howard Lake | 20 March 2020 | News
John Lewis Partnership has launched a £1m community support fund to be distributed across the country “at this time of national crisis”.
The John Lewis Community Support Fund will be available to communities across the UK “to help those in need in their local communities”. No date of its availability or confirmation of whether or how charities could access it has been published.
At launch it was stated that the distribution of funds will be determined by teams of staff or ‘partners’ in each shop, working together with their communities.
Help might include setting up additional local delivery services to support the self-isolating, the vulnerable, the elderly and those looking after them. It could involve delivering boxes of staples to local care homes and community groups, and donating products to create care packages for customers to share with vulnerable neighbours.
Other community support
The John Lewis Partnership is also planning to support communities by exploring ways in which its staff can provide services to customers isolated in their homes.
For example, expectant parents seeking important nursery advice for example could book an online session with a specialist nursery advisor to help them plan the key things to think about before their baby arrives. Other services could include wellbeing advice; craft and cookery classes provided by Partners online, or on one-to-one calls.
The partnership is also instituting actions to support its staff. For example they will be offered free meals at work during the crisis.
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About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.