Product Giving Alliance launches to help businesses donate goods & services during pandemic
Melanie May | 22 May 2020 | News
Charity Digital, FareShare, In Kind Direct and International Health Partners have formed the Product Giving Alliance to encourage more British businesses to make donating goods and services a key part of their response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
With in-kind gifts and donations of food, medical supplies, hygiene and cleaning products, software and specialist support in demand from frontline charities, the organisations expect this need to remain high in the aftermath of the crisis with more people facing financial hardship, and charities under increased strain.
In the last year alone, Charity Digital, FareShare, In Kind Direct and International Health Partners estimate that together, the value of goods and services they provided to charities supporting vulnerable people was worth more than £59m.
The Product Giving Alliance members will work in partnership to meet the needs of the voluntary sector, both during the coronavirus pandemic and longer term, by helping manufacturers and retailers donate products and services across all sectors, and signposting charities to what they need to keep delivering their services, whether it is software, food, medical or household supplies.
The alliance aims to give businesses confidence their donations will deliver measurable social impact, and highlight the environmental benefits of donating surplus stock, instead of sending it to landfill or recycling.
International Health Partners CEO, Adele Paterson, said:
“Encouraging businesses to consider donating goods and services, and streamlining that process as far as possible will make a real difference to the charities Product Giving Alliance members supply, and to the millions of vulnerable people, in the UK and abroad, who rely on those organisations for support.”
FareShare CEO, Lindsay Boswell, said:
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“Businesses have stepped up during this crisis, donating enough stock for FareShare to double the amount of food we get onto the plates of those in need. But we know that when the restrictions are lifted many more people will face financial insecurity. Giving surplus or donated products, or offering up valuable staff time and expertise will continue to be a smart, cost-effective way for businesses to make a big impact in the communities in which they operate.”
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About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.