In Kind Direct is a national charity that manages the donation of surplus products to charities across the UK. The charity has the infrastructure to accept large quantities of goods which are stored, sorted, ordered and then delivered directly to charities in its network.
For nine years we have supported In Kind Direct, which is one of The Prince’s Charities. Through our work with In Kind Direct, we have donated over 170,000 products worth over £4.5 million, and in 2017 alone we donated £1.5 million in goods and 47,000 products to over 1,800 charities and voluntary organisations across the country.
The charities our goods have supported include: Community Youth Project, a charity working in Newbury; Y services for Young People, a charity based in Hampshire; Ripples Foundation, a charity focused on woman empowerment and youth development; and Alington House Community Association in County Durham.
As well as donating surplus products, Amazon has provided a range of support to In Kind Direct including advice and mentoring, logistics support, and cloud services from Amazon Web Services (AWS).
Ajay Kavan, Vice President – AmazonFresh, who is also a Trustee for In Kind Direct, commented: “We are appreciative of the work In Kind Direct does to put our contributions to such good use and help people in need up and down the country. We are humbled by the commitment of the 1,700 plus charities serving local communities and making a difference to thousands and thousands of young lives.”
Robin Boles, CEO of In Kind Direct, said: “The growth in product donations from Amazon year on year, but particularly in 2016, has been enormous. For our network of charity partners, access to an unprecedented selection of products they could usually not afford, has been hugely beneficial. With funding increasingly becoming more difficult to secure, any savings our charities make can mean the difference as to whether or not they can afford to continue delivering their services.”
Supporting local charities
As a result of the donations, local charities have been able to deliver more to people in need. Ian Green, Youth Worker & Project Manager at Community Youth Project, commented: “The kids we work with don’t get a lot in life. It’s particularly tough living in poverty in a wealthy area when you can’t afford what others around you take for granted. The scooters, toys and sports products we’ve had this year from In Kind Direct donated by Amazon make our youth club attractive and mean we can give out prizes to encourage good behaviour. It’s made a real difference.”
Maria Calway-Kennedy, volunteer administrator at Y services for Young People, commented: "We have obtained resources to help deliver play work in areas of deprivation, provided life skills activities to teenagers using kitchen items and food received from In Kind Direct, and during the winter months our teams will be distributing clothing for those in need. We'd like to thank In Kind Direct and its donor companies, these items truly make a difference to young people.”
Alan Barnett, co-ordinator at Alington House Community Association commented: “We serve a wide community ranging from the deprived coalfield villages of County Durham to the unemployed, young people with visual impairment, homeless, refugees and asylum seekers. In Kind Direct allows us to give people the items they normally could not afford or indeed never think of using. Items received from Amazon have ranged from personal care products to clothing, cooking equipment and many more. We are very grateful for these goods which are making lives that bit better.”
