Warm-hearted employees from Derbyshire science company Lubrizol have helped ease the cost-of-living crisis for users of a Derby homeless charity experiencing one of its toughest ever winters.
Employees at Lubrizol were invited by their company to help fill large cardboard boxes with essential items for use by The Padley Group in Derby so they can be given to those in severe need.
Staff responded to the challenge by going out and buying a wide range of goods such as toiletries, hygiene items and tins of food. Lubrizol staff went above and beyond by buying enough to fill 45 large cardboard boxes which were delivered to the Padley Group.
Lubrizol had invited staff to help fill the boxes as part of its celebrations marking its UK headquarters’ 75th anniversary at its base in a Victorian stately home in Hazelwood, near Belper. There are now around 350 staff based at Hazelwood.
Kerry Collyer, marketing manager at The Padley Group, said the 45 boxes from Lubrizol were the biggest single donation of items from a company this year.
Amongst its work The Padley Group has a day centre to which people can be referred, where they can be fed and receive a care package with toiletries such as toothpaste, deodorant, shower gel and sanitary products. The charity supports people at risk of homelessness, poverty and hunger.
Kerry said: “We have had a huge influx of people using our services this year because of the cost-of-living crisis. For the first time, I think ever, it has been a real worry this year as to whether we would have enough donations to support everyone, so these 45 boxes from Lubrizol have been a huge help.
“At The Padley Group we don’t spend any money on clothing or toiletries so this donation really means a lot to us. When we get large donations like this, it helps us feel we are going to make it through the winter – and we do need all the help we can get.”
Every month The Padley Group typically gives out about 200 care parcels containing items of basic need, but that has risen recently with 73 given out in just one week.
Rachel Ollier, from Lubrizol’s charities and communities committee who helped organise the cardboard box delivery to The Padley Group, said: “It’s nice to know that the donations that Lubrizol colleagues bought will be put to such good use, especially in the current tough economic climate we are in. Our charitable work is very important to us at Lubrizol. It’s so important to give something back, especially around Christmas time which is a time of giving after all.”
For more information, please contact Lucy Stephens at Penguin PR on lucy@penguinpr.co.uk or 0771 983 9446