Employee share-owned packaging company Kite Packaging recently made sizeable donations to charities across the UK as part of their annual charitable giving campaign.
Every year, each of the company’s thirteen divisions votes on a charity to support and where there is a tie in votes, the sum is divided between the top two chosen causes. This year, the donation value increased to £26,000 from £22,000 in 2022, reflecting Kite’s continued growth and collective desire to keep giving back to areas of their communities which may be struggling.
Kite Online (KOL), Kite Environmental Solutions (KES), Kite’s National Distribution Centre (NDC) and Midlands Regional Distribution Centre (RDC) all made Coventry based donations along with the company’s Call Centre, Central Administration, Warehouse and Specialist Divisions.
Following on from last year, Midlands showed their support for Coventry Haven Women’s Aid, a small, grass-roots charity set up by women to help women who are victims of domestic abuse and their children. Kite’s donation will maintain the provision of safe housing, support and services to those who are affected.
KOL, KES and Kite’s NDC stood in solidarity with The Trussell Trust, a charity supporting a network of food banks nationwide which also campaigns for a future where food poverty and banks are obsolete. Between 1st April 2022 and 30th September 2022, 1.3 million food parcels were distributed to those facing hardship, a 52% increase in comparison to the same period in 2019. For the first time, the need for emergency food outstripped donations as the cost-of-living crisis forced more people to turn to food banks. Kite’s contribution will support the charity in providing food parcels across their network.
The Air Ambulance Service is close to the hearts of many at Kite Packaging, a charity which works alongside the NHS to deliver time sensitive, critical care in the case of road traffic accidents, industrial accidents and medical emergencies. Sponsoring Warwickshire and Northamptonshire, Leicestershire and Rutland, and Derbyshire, Kite’s Call Centre, Central Administration and Specialist Divisions donation will help the service deliver life-saving care in the face of medical emergencies where otherwise not much can be done.
Beyond Coventry, Kite Packaging has RDCs in the North East, Rotherham, Sittingbourne, Letchworth, Rochdale, Portsmouth and Swindon as well as Shredhouse in Wiltshire. These bases supported a range of causes, with some employees also getting involved at a voluntary level to make a tangible and meaningful difference within their own communities.
For the second consecutive year, Shredhouse backed Alzheimer’s Wiltshire after a former employee developed the life-altering condition. They also donated to Wiltshire Air Ambulance alongside Kite’s Swindon RDC.
The company’s Letchworth RDC similarly donated to Jubilee House, a charity which empowers people with learning disabilities and currently supports a member of the RDC. They also donated to Garden House Hospice which Kite has regularly been involved with, fundraising through many activities over the last few years.
Kite’s North East donation went to People’s Kitchen, a charity which distribute packages of clothing, food, sleeping bags and more and helping homeless and vulnerable people move off the streets and into their first homes. The charity currently operates out of a Grade 2 listed building which is often costly to maintain or repair. Kite’s donation will be used for a new gate and fence to secure their premises, an essential investment for the site.
The RDC also donated to Children’s Heart Unit Fund (CHUF) which focuses on the provision of holistic care beyond access to medical equipment and personnel to children with heart conditions and their families. Thanks to Kite, two INR machines will be given to patients so they can be discharged from hospital and monitor their blood regularly from the comfort of their own homes.
Rochdale Children’s Moorland Home was chosen by the company’s North-West RDC. This charity provides and maintains a holiday home for children in need or distress aged between 5-11. Members of the RDC were lucky enough to visit, gaining a real insight into how the charity operates and the fantastic opportunities it provides to children who are not so fortunate.
Kite’s Rotherham RDC donated to MND Association which focuses on improving access to care, education and research for those affected by motor neurone disease, while Portsmouth supported Endometriosis UK which helps individuals overcome the disease through the provision of care, support and treatment. Meanwhile Sittingbourne split their donation between Making Miracles, a charity offering support, services and tools to families following baby trauma or bereavement, and the charity Demelza, which delivers care to children facing life-threatening or limiting conditions.
Many of the charities expressed the challenges they have faced in recent years due to limited funding, staff loss and the cost of living crisis which is leaving more people in need of their services, making Kite’s contributions are all the more important. Kite employees are delighted to have the opportunity to effect meaningful change within aspects of their localities which may be struggling and Kite is honoured to empower this.
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