Sharing the essentials with the Trussell Trust
At Naked Sprout, we know small things can make a difference. We speak a lot about our environmental impact, and we also try to think of ways to help more broadly - to leverage our company in ways that will help others.
But we’re just one team, and a team of toilet roll makers at that, so when it comes to helping others we take the lead of our fantastic charity partners. Over the next few months we’ll be talking more about our global charity partner Just a Drop, but today we’re staying closer to home and taking a moment to applaud the vital work of UK anti-poverty charity, the Trussell Trust.
We’ve always made donations of our physical products to Trussell Trust food banks wherever possible, and in 2023, our logistics team put together a system so that any dead stock and returns from our warehouse can go to them. In fact if you're reading this article on the day its published, seven pallets of our toilet rolls, that's about 5000 rolls, are en route to the Trust. Let's join them.
Who are the Trussell Trust?
The Trussell Trust is dedicated to ending hunger and poverty in the UK. In 1997 married couple Paddy and Carol Henderson decided to use money inherited from Carol’s mother to help homeless children living at Sofia railway station in Bulgaria. After a local newspaper covered their work, a local mother facing hardship reached out to them, and they soon discovered that many people in the UK are only one bout of illness or bad luck away from having to go without food.
They decided they would help by making up emergency food parcels, providing the essentials a home in crisis would need to get through three days. The first parcels were stored in a shed, and over the next twenty five years the work started by Paddy and Carol grew in scale and ambition. In 2023 their team of more than 30,000 volunteers distributed 3.1 million parcels to families and single people experiencing hardship.
It’s not exactly the kind of growth you want to see, but it’s a testament to the tireless dedication of their team, and the good will in each and every donation they receive. With child poverty at its highest level for 30 years, the work of the Trussell Trust is sadly more urgent than ever.
What do they do?
The Trussell Trust accepts donations of non-perishable, in-date food from individuals and organisations all over the country. You may have seen a donation crate near the exit of your local supermarket, with extra items people have bought to specifically to donate. These items are checked and sorted by the Trussell Trust’s team of volunteers, and delivered to food banks.
The Trussell Trust works with GPs, schools, and other professionals in positions of care. These professionals have vouchers they can give to people they know need help, and these vouchers can be exchanged at a food bank for three days of food and household essentials.
Three days of food will help a household keep their heads above water without anyone going hungry, but it’s not a solution to the long-term hardship experienced by growing numbers of people in the UK. So the Trussell Trust also campaigns for anti-poverty measures at the local and national level, and provides additional support and guidance for the people that use their services.
How can I help?
If you’re inspired to pitch in with this lifechanging work there are plenty of ways to help. There’s more information about how to donate food here, and its worth checking the list on that page to make sure you’re donating items that the network can use. For extra points you can use their search function to find out what items are most in need in your area.
As well as donations of non-perishable, in-date food the Trust will accept donations of good quality clothing, furniture, electrical goods and toys through their charity shops. You can learn more about their shops and donations here. And if you like to get stuck in, why not volunteer? Trussell Trust volunteers build up the resilience of their local communities, make friends, and learn new skills. You can find out more about volunteering with them on their website.
How we work with them
Toilet rolls are easily overlooked but they’re an everyday essential, key to maintaining a sense of normality and dignity. People who are struggling shouldn’t have to go without them, but with the prices of toilet rolls (like a lot of other products) rising, they’re yet another expense stretching people’s budgets.
We don't think anyone should have to choose between food and loo rolls. In 2023 our logistics team worked out a system so that dead stock and returns from our warehouse can be directed into the Trussell Trust’s network.
Our first large donation was made in September 2023 - a collaboration between Naked Sprout and The Trussell Trust Brentwood, with transport provided by D. Perfect and Sons who offered to haul our boxes from the Midlands to Essex for free. The footage of a whole team of wonderful volunteers bringing Naked Sprout to their centre was truly one of the highlights of the year.
Since then we’ve continued to make donations, small and large, to their network. In 2023 we donated enough rolls to supply 590 people for a year, and we’re aiming to double that in 2024.
As we mentioned earlier, on the day this article is being posted thousands of our toilet rolls will be taking a free ride with D. Perfect and Sons from our warehouse to the Trussell Trust, to be distributed through their wonderful network to good homes around the UK. We're happy to see them go!
Conclusion
Our new government has pledged to “end the mass dependency on emergency food parcels,” and the Trussell Trust are fully on board with this goal; their ultimate aim is for nobody to need them any more.
Until then, their work serves as a shining example of community action. The 3.1 million packages donated through the Trust in 2023 represents the collective effort of volunteers, workers in caring professions, businesses and people up and down the country pulling together to help those among us who are struggling.
We’d like to take the opportunity to thank all of our customers, our delivery partners, and the Trust itself for giving us the chance to pitch in.
Want to learn more about the Trussell Trust and how you can help?
