While we all keep grinding on through these extraordinary times, brands are continuing to help out their communities, showing that they’re in it for the long haul. Across the globe, brands are digging into their values and acting accordingly to help — or partnering with organizations to find out how they can have the greatest impact. Here are some of our favorites.
Boden + Helpforce
British clothing retailer Boden is doing what they do best — creating stylish and quality clothing to be donated to communities across the globe. Partnering with HelpForce, Boden has donated £770,000 worth of clothing to 15 NHS hospitals across the U.K. Ramping up production, they’ve started on their goal of 10,000 pairs of pajamas for staff and patients as well as outfits for patients newly released from the hospital to wear home. In the U.S., they’ve provided $300,000 worth of pajamas to vulnerable children. A new outfit or pair of pajamas is one of life’s simple pleasures and a clever and cozy way to provide a bright spot in the days of doctors, nurses, and patients.
Boots COVID-19 Testing
Boots is a brand with staying power. For over 170 years, Boots has been a go-to pharmacy and health and beauty retailer based in the U.K. and has weathered many life-changing events. The brand has gone all-in on providing assistance to its communities. From turning their pharmacy consultation rooms into safe spaces for domestic violence victims to donating over 100,000 essential toiletries to the NHS (and creating recuperation packs for patients) they are tackling the seen and unseen effects of COVID-19 in a way that exemplifies their brand mission of being ”the U.K.’s most socially responsible retailer in the health and beauty market.”
On top of all of this, they’re literally standing “shoulder to shoulder” with frontline workers and the NHS by providing testing and advice, which you can find out more about in the video below.
Kingfisher
Kingfisher is a U.K.-based home improvement retailer with a goal of making home improvement accessible to everyone. The company has 1,300 stores across Europe, Russia, and Turkey, and includes brands B&Q, Screwfix, Castorama, and Brico Dépôt. Recognizing the need for PPE for essential healthcare workers, they put a plan into action. Bringing the resources of their distributed stores together, Kingfisher was able to load up five trucks’ worth of protective eyewear and masks to donate to frontline healthcare workers. They’ve provided over £1 million of PPE and funding for communities across Europe.
Soap & Glory + The Hygiene Bank
U.K. beauty brand Soap & Glory believes everybody deserves a good clean. Bringing awareness to “hygiene poverty,” an unfortunate side effect of poverty that means individuals facing a time of hardship may have to choose between staying clean or eating, is important for Soap & Glory and why they’ve partnered with The Hygiene Bank. The Hygiene Bank fights hygiene poverty by providing “toiletries, hygiene basics, beauty, and personal care essentials” to those in need, and, in turn, ensures that all individuals, no matter their situation, are ensured the right to feel clean.
✨10,000 donations✨ of Clean On Me has been donated from our friends at @SoapandGlory through their buy to donate scheme! ? and we are hugely grateful for this support ? ?#TheHygieneBank #MakeADifference #EndHygienePoverty #PrescribeKindness pic.twitter.com/7sfwqXL1eV
— thehygienebank (@thehygienebank) April 14, 2020
For every 50 purchases made between now and June, Soap & Glory is donating full-sized shower gels to The Hygiene Bank.
