Neighbourly

Christmas is all about sharing and bringing people together. To help make the magic happen, Lidl has once again brought back their in-store toy banks, in partnership with Neighbourly, where customers can make donations of unopened toys and gifts. From stocking fillers to something bigger, the toy donations from Lidl customers will be provided to families through our store partnerships with charities, foodbanks and community groups. In-store donation points are open until 16th December.

In a new addition for this year, Lidl plush friends Racoon and Monkey will be available to buy in-store, with all proceeds going to the toy bank charity partners. 

Head down to a local Lidl to support this amazing scheme, until 16th December.

This weekend I had the pleasure of volunteering at Charity SuperMkt in Bristol, an opportunity I found on the Neighbourly platform. This wonderful shop supports various local charities by selling high-quality donated and vintage clothing. 

Headed up by Wayne Hemingway, founder of British fashion brand, Red or Dead and Hemingway Design, and Maria Chenoweth, CEO of the sustainable clothing charity, TRAID, CharitySuper.Mkt is the UK's first ever shop space bringing multiple charities under one roof. The first store opened in London’s Brent Cross before moving to Reading, and pop-ups have since opened in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Bluewater and Bristol, where I volunteered.

In Bristol, a total of 11 charities have been lined up to host an area of the store on a rotational basis until the 31st of October, and I chose to volunteer for Great Western Air Ambulance, who have been part of Neighbourly’s network since 2017.

Great Western Air Ambulance, or GWAAC as they are sometimes affectionately known, provide air ambulance services across Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and surrounding areas. The charity is dedicated to bringing critical care to patients when they need it most, helping save lives through rapid emergency response.

As soon as I arrived at the store, the shop's friendly manager gave me a tour and overview of all the different sections and how to work the till. Each mini "shop within a shop" supports a different cause, from children's hospices to animal welfare groups. I was amazed by the diversity of charities represented under one roof, and the centralised payment system means that shoppers can pay for items from different charities all in one place. 

My main duties involved tidying up clothing racks, organising donations, and helping tidy up displays. It felt good to play even a small part in giving a second lease of life to quality items while also raising money for worthy causes.

The day flew by, and the shop had a great atmosphere, with a really diverse set of customers popping by to browse the clothing on offer. I also really enjoyed chatting with Beth, the member of staff from Great Western Air Ambulance on duty that day, and learning more about the charity and her role. 

To anyone looking for a fun, social and meaningful way to give back, I can't recommend volunteering highly enough. Opportunities like the Charity Super.Mrkt make it easy to get involved and start making a difference.

As a platform that connects businesses with small charities and community causes, Neighbourly has long understood the value of giving at a local level in developing trust between stakeholders, a notion that has been accelerated during the cost-of-living crisis. 

To accurately quantify the relationship between trust in businesses and charitability, for the fourth consecutive year Neighbourly has commissioned a YouGov research survey of 2,100 UK adults on the topic.

This coincides with the Edelman Trust Barometer, a global report which acts as an annual gauge of the international population's trust in business organisations, governments, and the media. This year’s findings name business as the only institution seen as competent and ethical; an indication that employers have a big role to play in moving society forward economically, environmentally and socially. 

Businesses will continue to feel the demand from boards, employees and customers to drive and embed change. Indeed, the report found that among employees, 69% said that having societal impact is a strong expectation or even a deal maker/breaker when considering a new job role. 

The Neighbourly YouGov survey suggests that operating in a meaningful way carries a strong business case and financial return, with 65% of people in the UK more likely to trust a business that contributes to the community where they live and/or work, and 87% more likely, in turn, to support or buy from a company they trust.

It seems the public are wise to this movement, with trust in small, local charities (76%) being considerably higher than national (59%) and international charities (40%). The research also found that 63% are more likely to trust a business that supports small local charities. 

The emphasis on supporting local organisations, charities and community groups has likely been bolstered by economic events over the last few years, strengthening bonds within neighbourhoods, and resulting in an expectation that businesses and employers provide social value alongside traditional economic value.

Aside from the unequivocal societal value of businesses supporting local good causes, there is mounting evidence that a deliberately mapped out trust strategy will contribute to higher brand trust and customer support.

As businesses find ways to embed social value deeply into their business strategy and place trust front and centre, the greater the benefits for all.

Getir, the pioneer of ultrafast grocery delivery, has recently reached a milestone of over one million donated meals from its gstores to local good causes through the Neighbourly platform. 

The partnership, which has been running for a year, has now seen over 420,000 tonnes of food donated to over 330 good causes, like St Mungo's Haringey Recovery Service in London, Wycombe Food Hub and Betel Birmingham.

By redistributing this food, Getir has saved 1,520 tonnes of CO2 and made a total financial impact of over £1.8M to local communities. The whole Getir estate is now live on the Neighbourly platform, providing community organisations and charities with surplus food donations on a regular basis.

Getir’s goal of zero food waste sits amongst a number of initiatives to support their wider sustainability and community ambitions.

Their UK General Manager Chris Chaaya told us; “In light of the ongoing challenges families face with the rising cost of living, we are more committed than ever to providing assistance to those in need. As a company, we strive to be active and valuable in the areas we serve and we’re proud to have reached this incredible milestone within the first year of our partnership with Neighbourly.

This initiative has enabled us to directly benefit those who need it most, via new partnerships with over 330 local charities. It’s brilliant to see our store teams forming great relationships with these community-based organisations, that is something we really encourage.”

In response to our most recent community survey Neighbourly has launched the Warm Communities Fund to provide targeted support to local charities and community groups in our network who are providing ‘warm banks’, food donations and low-cost-to-prepare meals up and down the country to those who need it most.

Research shows that one in every five people in the UK is living in relative poverty, and food insecurity is on the rise.

As Neighbourly’s recent survey of community charities demonstrates, the cost-of-living crisis means that demand for support is growing while the availability of funding and other forms of support is decreasing:

• 50% are planning to provide "warm banks" this winter
• 65% have a seen a drop in financial donations
• 63% are aiming to provide more food that requires little or no energy to prepare
• The average energy bill for community charities is expected to rise by 119% (£7,600 p/a to £16,700)

This shortfall will have a direct and damaging impact on the communities served by these charities and groups.

The Neighbourly Warm Communities Fund (via the Neighbourly Foundation, charity 1189514) has been set up to enable individuals and organisations to make donations which will be distributed over the winter period and beyond. The campaign will be “needs-led” with micro-grants provided to local charities and community groups in our 22,000+ UK & Ireland network.

Through our work, we know that small charities and good causes know the needs of their community better than anyone else, and are able to support them in the most impactful ways. If you would like to find out more about the fund, make a donation or a business pledge, follow the link to our webpage below.

The UK is currently facing a national emergency in the form of the cost of living crisis. Even before the crisis, millions of people across the country were facing a winter choosing between heating or eating, and many are now realising that they may not be able to afford either.

Along with more than 50 organisations, we are supporting Turn2Us and Save the Children in the #FixThisCrisis campaign which is calling on the government to act with urgency to ensure the wellbeing of the population. 

Below we have compiled some of the campaigns and petitions being run by charities in response to the crisis so that you can show your support.

38 Degrees - We need an emergency budget that boosts Universal Credit now

This petition is urging the Government to announce an emergency budget that increases Universal Credit immediately.

With the cost of living crisis already hitting families hard and energy bills set to soar even more, this is more important now than ever.

“The Government raised Universal Credit during the pandemic - providing a lifeline to millions - and with enough pressure, they could do it again.”

• Sign the petition here 

Turn2Us - Write to your MP

Join Turn2Us in their campaign to ask for urgent action to help people during this cost of living crisis.

Writing to your MP lets them know how people in their area are being affected and can encourage them to take action.

“The more MPs that receive emails in their inbox, the better. Even if you think your MP will not be receptive, it is still important to write to them - the more public pressure MPs receive, the better chance we have of making a change.”

• Find out more here

Action for Children - We need urgent and decisive action on the cost of living crisis

In this open letter to Liz Truss, Action for Children are asking the new Prime Minister to take the urgent steps required to give families the support they need and strengthen the safety net. 

Their three requests are that the government:

1. Restore benefits to a decent level. If the cost of living goes up, benefits should reflect this.
2. Increase the child element of Universal Credit to help lift children out of poverty.
3. Deliver a serious and cross-government strategy to tackle child poverty and make it a key part of the government’s plans for levelling up.

• Add your signature to the letter here

Save the Children - Call on the Government to do more to ease the cost of living crisis

Save the Children are calling on the government to invest in a level of social security that is sustainable and sufficient for people to live on.

“When parents can’t afford the basics, children pay the price.”

• Sign the petition here

Independent Age - Tell the next Prime Minister to take action on the cost of living

Writing to the Prime Minister, Independent Age are asking that urgent action is taken to support older people in financial hardship to address the spiralling cost of living. 

They are currently just 1,274 signatures away from their target of 5,000 - add your name below!

• Sign the petition here

The Trussell Trust - Everyone should be able to afford the essentials

While food banks are there to help people when they need it most, this cannot, and should not, be the country’s long-term solution to hunger. 

Everyone should be able to afford life’s essentials, so we need a stronger social security system that provides security every day, not just in times of national crisis. 

• Send a message to your MP here

Action Storm - Vulnerable young people are going hungry to pay the bills. End food poverty now!

Vulnerable young people faced with food poverty are experiencing huge difficulties with inflation historically high, energy costs soaring, rent and food prices going up, and an inevitable recession. This is putting noticeable pressure on their mental health.

Action Storm are calling on the government to:

1. Uprate benefits to reflect the real cost of living.
2. Remove the five-week wait for the first Universal Credit payment.
3. Offer the choice of more regular payments i.e. every 2 weeks

• Sign the petition here

Provide an energy grant to people with a disability or serious medical condition

This petition is calling on the government to provide a grant, so that people with a disability or serious medical condition can afford to run the equipment, or heating, they need to stay alive.

At 100,000 signatures, this petition will be considered for debate in Parliament.

• Add your signature here

Mencap - Call on the government to do more to ease the cost of living crisis

“The cost of living crisis is tough for everyone, but it can be even harder for people with a learning disability, many of whom are on low incomes, rely on disability benefits, and who need support to be able to budget and navigate complex information from energy suppliers.”

Mencap are working with UK partners including Shelter, Mind, Save The Children, Parkinsons UK and Action for Children to request that the government invest in a level of social security that is sustainable and sufficient for people to live on.

• Sign the petition here

38 Degrees - We can't take more energy bill hikes!

38 Degrees are petitioning that the government, and energy regulator Ofgem, must intervene now to protect us from the upcoming energy bills increase. 

By stopping and reversing the catastrophic energy bill increases they can help to make sure that everyone is warm this winter.

• Sign the petition here

Here at Neighbourly we live and breathe local communities and good causes. So, naturally, one of our most cherished staff benefits is unlimited volunteering.

Yep, you read that right. Provided we get our jobs done, Neighbourly employees can take unlimited paid volunteering days every year.

It’s something we take huge pride in and, whilst we’re helping other businesses implement employee volunteering for themselves - it makes sense that we get stuck in too.

• You might like: How to build an engaging volunteering programme

Shedding some light into what an employee volunteering day might look like, Alice - Neighbourly’s Digital Marketing Manager, shares her day in the life, volunteering at the Community Farm near Bristol.

Volunteering at the Community Farm

The Community Farm is a not-for-profit social enterprise and community owned organic farm based in Chew Magna, near Bristol. As well as producing and delivering nature-friendly and nutritious organic veg boxes to hundreds of people in and around the Bristol area, they run a huge number of educational and wellbeing activities for all ages.

9am - Travelling to the farm

The Community Farm is set amongst beautiful countryside, right by Chew Valley Lake - about 10 miles from Bristol. As I don’t drive, I hop on my bike and cycle over to the farm following a lovely quiet (and largely off road) cycle route (thanks Sustrans!). It’s about an hour's ride but the weather is sunny and I’m glad to be outside enjoying the fresh air.

10am - Meet at the community farm yurt 

About six people are volunteering at the farm today. Some have been coming for years and volunteer every week, others pop down when they can - but it’s rare to see someone volunteer for the first time and not want to keep coming back. 

We usually start our day by meeting at the yurt. The yurt is a space used for many different farm, volunteer and community activities. It’s a fantastic space and even has its own pizza oven outside. There’s lots to do today though, so we don’t hang about. 

Gardening gloves are donned, sun cream applied and water bottles filled, we get ready to start the day.

10:15 - Broadly speaking

The first big job of the day is picking the broad beans. Despite having been picked by volunteers just a few days before, the smaller ones are already plumped up. After a quick lesson on picking technique and how to spot the biggest and plumpest broad beans, we get to it.

There’s always some good chat from volunteer coordinator Ian whilst we’re working on farm tasks. Today he is telling us all about this book he’s been reading called ‘Immense World’ by award-winning science writer Ed Yong which talks about the amazing power of animal senses. 

His favourite fact from the book was the discovery that just 1mg of Atta Texana (Texas leafcutter ant) pheromone could theoretically lead a column of ants round the world three(!) times.

Ants aside, I find picking broad beans quite peaceful and meditative and before I know it we’ve plucked over 80kg of broad beans between us. Time for some well-earned lunch.

1pm - Lunch (and cake)

Sitting under the garden shelter we eat our lunch whilst chatting to some of the farm staff, one of whom brought cake as this was his last day working at the farm before moving on to pastures anew. 

Not long into our lunch break, another team member comes rushing out of the kitchen. She’s found a baby shrew in the sink! The farm is full of wildlife but this particular find is especially cute. Whilst little shrew doesn’t seem too impressed about being removed from the sink, we feel it’s in its best interests.

2pm - Heave hoe

After lunch it’s off to the brassicas. In organic farming, some weeds can be useful as they keep the pests out - but these lanes of purple kale and cavolo nero have become a little overrun. Time to give them some space with a round of hoeing.

Hoes are a tool that efficiently scrape away the weeds in between the plants and, with weak roots, proved quite a satisfying task. In just a few hours, we’ve cleared the weeds and it’s time to wrap up for the day.

4pm - Get yer veg on the edge

The Community Farm aims for absolutely nothing to go to waste. Their walk-in fridge contains a shelf called ‘veg on the edge’ which is a free-for-all for staff and volunteers to collect anything that’s wonky or needs using up quickly.

I grab some courgettes, a green pepper, some broccoli and an amazing looking conjoined cucumber as my ‘earnings’ for the day.

Outside the fridge often sits a crate of veg that’s gone a touch too far or is a little woody. This gets sent off to be fed to the pigs.

There is also a community of pickers called ‘gleaners’ in the UK that come to the farm to pick whatever's been left in the field. Home growers know that sometimes you just get such a huge glut of something (courgettes and runner beans seem to be common ones) that you just can’t pick and use it all up - and it’s the same at the Community Farm. 

The gleaners that come to the Community Farm come to pick all that’s left and transport it to be distributed by local food banks and community kitchens.

4:30 - Rolling home

It’s been a tiring but fulfilling day at the farm and I leave for the cycle back to Bristol with a smile on my face. 

With the heat of high summer, I can’t resist a little stop for rest and water at the top of this hill - plus it gives me time to enjoy the view.

Reflections

Being able to volunteer is incredibly important to me as an employee at Neighbourly - enabling connection to my local community to be something I can experience not only in my spare time but as part of my working life. At the same time, it's extremely concerning to see and hear about the impact the cost-of-living crisis is having on the most vulnerable people and the organisations that support them.

The Community Farm has been hitting the local headlines of late. Having lost 50% of its organic veg box subscribers in the last year, as many households cut down on spending, they are now on the brink of closure. Along with the thousands of small charities and good causes across the UK and Ireland, this crisis is already taking its toll - and it’s the contribution of volunteer time, funding and the support of customers that will help prevent the collapse of this incredible web of community support.

It’s also why it’s ever more important for businesses to embrace or further embed their employee volunteering programmes. Not only so that staff can see that their employer is invested in the causes they care most about - but to enable real action by real people in communities during a time of immense suffering and hardship, allowing us all to weather the storm.

This year Neighbourly has released a brand new guide ‘Volunteering: The Key to Employee Engagement’ - if you’d like to find out more about employee volunteering or how to create scale and maximise a corporate volunteering programme, it’s a great place to start.

It's been just 6 months since we partnered with Getir, the rapid grocery delivery company, to help them deliver a UK-wide food surplus distribution scheme. In that time Getir has donated over a quarter of a million meals to local charities and good causes.

"We are now getting more fresh food and snacks for our families"

As more families across the country have been reaching out to food banks and other organisations to receive a full and healthy meal, Getir has provided access to its stores so that surplus food can be donated via the Neighbourly platform, distributing more than 260,000 meals to over 280 local charities and good causes across the UK. The nourishing meals donated, that otherwise would have been sent to waste, were worth half a million pounds and saved a staggering 395 tonnes of CO2.

“The impact we are having on local communities is important to Getir,” said Kristof Van Beveren, General Manager at Getir. “We know this is an uncertain and challenging time for many families, but where we can, we always want to be a company that cares for those people who need our help.”

Meeting need in local communities

Our latest Community Insights survey revealed that 86% of food banks across the country have reported an increase in demand over the last three months, with an estimated rise of 41% more people looking for support at some food banks.

• You might like: Neighbourly Community Insights Summer 2022

As demand increases, partnerships with businesses like Getir go a long way in providing extra support at a critical time for local services on the ground. Rehoboth Community Outreach Club, just one of the good causes benefitting from Getir’s partnership with Neighbourly, said on Twitter: “We could not do the work we are doing in local communities without the support of giving platforms like Neighbourly working in partnership with Getir and many more supermarkets to end food poverty.”

The Store Cupboard W7 have also taken to Twitter to thank Getir for their contributions, saying: “Thanks to Neighbourly and Getir we are now getting more fresh food and snacks for our families. All much appreciated.”

Steve Butterworth, CEO of Neighbourly, added: “We’re delighted to be supporting [Getir] with their surplus food programme which is donating quality to local organisations. 250,000 meals is a great milestone and those meals will have made such a difference for many people in the community that are struggling with the cost of living crisis.”

Local good causes are facing unprecedented challenges as a result of the compounding impacts of an economic crisis in the UK and global effects of the war in Ukraine.

With UK inflation at its highest since the 90s, the cost of energy and basic supplies rising out of control and the Ukraine war displacing millions, there is almost no one left untouched to some degree - with local good causes facing another sharp rise in demand as hundreds of thousands face the prospect of falling into poverty across the UK and Ireland.

The UK's Spring Budget, which presented an opportunity to introduce measures of support for those on low-incomes caused further frustration amongst anti-poverty campaigners. Dr Silvia Galandini, Domestic Poverty Lead at Oxfam told the Big Issue: “By only increasing benefits to 3.1 per cent – half the rate of inflation – [Rishi Sunak] has effectively cut benefits twice now in six months, risking an additional 400,000 people being pulled into poverty.”

Others such as the Resolution Foundation predicted that, by not adequately supporting poorer families, the numbers pushed into poverty could be even higher at 1.3M as real household disposable income is forecast to fall at the fastest annual rate since 1956.

Impact on local communities

This March, over 1,300 causes completed the Neighbourly Community Survey - sharing the impact of the cost of living crisis and the war in Ukraine on their local communities and the people they support.

In the last 3 months, local good causes told us they are each supporting an average of 378 people per week. This represents an increase of 160% since March 2020 - and is expected to increase further in the coming months. To add to this, around 44% reported that they have seen a drop in charity income in the past 3 months.

“The rising cost of fuel to a rurally situated charity is painful”

As a result of growing concerns, 82% said they would welcome an emergency grant to help them deal with a rise in fuel, food and living costs and the impact of the war in Ukraine.

The rise in energy prices was cited as the greatest concern, with one small charity telling us: "The rising cost of fuel to a rurally situated charity is painful. We agreed a charity staff pay rise for the new financial year – but it has been swallowed up with the rise in heating, fuel and basic staples.”

Capacity for growth

The impact of this growing crisis is already taking its toll. Since we last surveyed our good causes in the wake of the last set of Covid-19 restrictions, their sentiment score for their current situation has dropped further - representing decreased optimism for their organisation and the people they support.

Despite this, local good causes remain resilient in the face of adversity and are still working hard to overcome challenges, many with capacity to receive further support across financial donations, surplus food and products, and volunteer help from businesses.

A future for all

Whilst the cost of living crisis continues to push people into poverty, and the war in Ukraine creates displacement for millions now seeking refuge across Europe, we need to be able to keep our local community causes not just afloat but thriving so that they are able to respond.

Local good causes have consistently demonstrated their ability to stand in where welfare leaves people stranded - but many local services are being stretched to breaking point. 

In one of the wealthiest countries on Earth it seems inconceivable that so many households are needing to choose between heating or eating, small charities are needing to provide emergency aid and there remain no clear government policies for eradicating poverty.

In response, Neighbourly’s Emergency Fund is welcoming business donations which can be facilitated via the Neighbourly Foundation to support good causes and help tackle the impact of the cost of living crisis and humanitarian crisis. 

Our Emergency Fund will look to help plug the gap for these charitable organisations, so they can fulfil their role of strengthening and supporting local communities. More details about our Emergency Fund can be found by clicking the 'Learn more' button below.

Millions are facing a humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, with 12M at risk of becoming internally displaced. Meanwhile the UK is seeing an unprecedented cost of living crisis with fuel poverty predicted to double in 2022.

At Neighbourly, we believe that together we have the power to help. In the wake of a new crisis, at a scale we've never seen before, we are calling for businesses to offer their support, to ensure our local communities can face the future with renewed resilience to help those who need it most - from the UK to Ukraine.

Key facts

• There are currently 20,000 good causes registered on the Neighbourly platform, across the UK and Ireland.
• 34% are already supporting asylum-seekers or refugees, or supporting communities affected by the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine.
• 97% believe the cost of living and energy prices will have a significant impact on their organisation and beneficiaries.
• Charitable organisations are expecting a 30% rise in demand in the next 3 months.

Launch of a new Emergency Fund

In response, we are launching a new Community Fund for the cost-of-living crisis and Ukraine support which will be managed by the Neighbourly Foundation.

All businesses will be able to use the Neighbourly platform at no cost to make a donation to the Emergency Fund.

All donations made to this Emergency Fund will be disbursed as micro-grants to local good causes registered on the Neighbourly platform that are supporting with the Ukrainian crisis, refugees and capacity building for the UK's cost-of-living crisis.

How to donate

To make a donation or request more information, head to hub.neighbourly.com/warm-communities-fund and fill out your details.

Or email businessresponse@neighbourly.com