Always putting people first 

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Always putting people first – every time

Corporate Social Responsibility

Corporate Social Responsibility We partner with both small and large organisations who have surplus items. Rather than pay to remove these items to waste through traditional means we can re-distribute to society. We therefore help businesses with their CSR credentials through waste management and CO2 reduction. We also provide volunteering opportunities for organisations who ask their staff to carryout a certain number of days in the community. Most recently Mite Care and Custody operating out of Manston send staff to volunteer five nights a week in the food bank.

Community Resilience As explained above our Freeshop movement helps to bring the community together to support one another. Feedback from volunteers and visitors is consistently positive, they have always wanted to help people in the community but not known the best way to help. Volunteering at the freeshop gives them pride that they are helping people in their community. We also find that this ripples out , someone who has been helped by the food bank / freeshop then goes on to help when they are able. One example of this was a lady who used the food bank and freeshop for six months following a bad break up. She found new employment , new accommodation and on receiving her first pay check brought an entire trolly load of food to the food bank to pass on food to others in the community who need our support.

Corporate Social Responsibility

Circular Economy

Re-purposing surplus goods is the very definition of circular economy. We don’t however sell items in our freeshop. Our business model is more akin to a subscription model where by our users pay to access our services. We charge £1 voluntary entrance fee. This enters our service users into a lottery and we give one family £100 each month. Local businesses have also provided us with funding for ‘Pay it forward’ tickets, no one is turned away, anyone without £1 can use a pre-paid pay it forward ticket for entrance (and is still entered into the lottery). The shop is community resource and we have found through our service user surveys that our visitors like to contribute and often pay more than £1 to enter to provide a ticket for someone who cannot afford it.  Once in the freeshop our service users are welcome to help themselves to as many items as they need.  We ask everyone to be mindful of others needs and if there are a few items of one type to make sure that they are leaving some for everyone.  We have one rule in the freeshop ‘ No reselling.  The Freeshop is not a resource for people to sell items at boot fairs or online etc.  It is a vital community resource where peoples unwanted items can be donated , safe in the knowledge that they will be used to help families in need rather than going into landfill.  This cycle can repeat many times as sometimes users need items for a short period of time and then return them to the freeshop for someone else.