Throughout this year, Amazon teams across the country have been working with charities and communities to provide focused, local support during the COVID-19 crisis.
We are on a mission to spread joy and deliver smiles to those who need it most this festive season. Here’s how Amazon teams are supporting charities and communities.
‘Very Important Breakfast Clubs’ with Magic Breakfast
Since beginning to work together in 2018, Amazon has enabled childhood nutrition charity Magic Breakfast to provide around 7,700 meals per day.
This year, in response to increasing demand on the charity’s services and rising levels of food insecurity among children and families, Amazon expanded the work with Magic Breakfast by providing its warehousing and logistics expertise to support the charity manage higher demand.
In total, this has resulted in more than two million healthy breakfasts being delivered to vulnerable children across the UK this year.
As an extra Christmas surprise, and to mark the milestone of two million breakfast delivered, Amazon and Magic Breakfast have launched ‘Very Important Breakfast Clubs’. Hundreds of children across the UK were surprised as they were joined in the classroom by stars including dance duo Joe Suggs and Dianne Buswell from BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing, rapper and mental health advocate Professor Green, Countdown’s maths whizz Rachel Riley, TV doc Dr. Ranj and TikTok phenomenon and professional freestyle footballer, Lia Lewis.
Following e-visits to selected schools in Doncaster, Poole, Brent, Scunthorpe and Edinburgh, the clubs are now available on the Amazon YouTube channel to bring some Christmas magic to all children for free this festive season.
Amazon is also helping Magic Breakfast to digitise classrooms, providing thousands of children across the UK with STEM equipment including coding robot kits, as well as training that they would not otherwise have access to.
You can support this cause too by donating to Magic Breakfast.
Celebrating ‘Kidsmas’ with Barnardo’s
Last year, Amazon worked with children’s charity Barnardo’s to host a series of children’s ‘Kidsmas’ parties at its sites around the UK throughout December. This year, Amazon expanded on this work to help meet the new challenges facing the charity, such as shortfalls in fundraising, volunteer shortages and a surge in demand for their services.
“The vulnerable children and families supported by Barnardo’s have been hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown,” said Lynn Perry, Corporate Director of Children’s Services at Bernardo’s. “As a charity we are facing a funding shortfall while demand for our services continues to rise. We are looking forward to working together with Amazon to meet these challenges and continue supporting children, young people and families.”
Amazon teams in the UK have supported up to 40 local services as they reopen, helping to buy materials, invest in technology or to create more welcoming – and socially distanced – spaces for children and families. It’s estimated that up to 40,000 children have already benefited.
Despite the restrictions this year, plans are afoot to ensure Christmas 2020 is as special as ever – Kidsmas will include virtual parties, online fundraising drives and also gifting and hampers for families who receive ongoing support from Barnardo’s children’s services.
Sign up to host your own Kidsmas Party with Barnardo’s.
Supporting NHS Charities Together
Within the communities that we operate, we strive to support their ‘right now’ needs.
We are supporting NHS Charities Together to help provide Christmas gifts for children who cannot leave hospital or are in isolation, plus decorations for wards, festive treats for doctors and nurses, and support for other groups like the elderly and homeless.
You can also help enhance the care given by the NHS by donating to NHS Charities Together.
Tackling homelessness and isolation with Depaul
For more than 30 years, charity Depaul has been working alongside young people facing homelessness, offering emergency housing, services and essential support. As the charity faces a surge in demand and a resource shortfall, we are proud to be supporting their vital work this Christmas.
We have made a donation which will enable the charity to extend their wellbeing team for the full month of December, guaranteeing young people can access remote mental health and wellbeing activities, personal wellness plans and crisis support.
As part of our support, we are also providing funds to complete the Safestop Manchester project, which was put on hold as a result of the pandemic. The donation means that young people at risk of becoming homeless can be in a safe and secure environment during the Christmas period. We anticipate over 1,000 young people and families will benefit – not only from the item donations, but also from the signposting to vital services and support structures.
If you would like to help support homeless and isolated young people over the festive season, visit the Depaul website to donate.
AmazonSmile helps you give back while you shop
If these stories have put you in the giving mood, there’s an easy way to support your own local causes this Christmas. Amazon customers can support any one of more than 30,000 participating UK charities by visiting smile.amazon.co.uk, or by activating AmazonSmile in the Amazon app on iPhone, or Android phones under ‘Programs and Features’.
AmazonSmile has the same low prices and convenient shopping experience you expect from Amazon, with the added bonus that we will donate a portion of the purchase price to a charity of your choice. AmazonSmile has donated more than £5.5 million to UK charities and more than £175 million globally to hundreds of thousands of charitable organisations.
Find out more: Amazon’s actions to help employees, communities, and customers affected by COVID-19
