North East’s first Multibank launches to redistribute 750,000 surplus goods to 75,000 families in need across Tees Valley

Beth Major, CEO of The Junction with The Junction Multibank team.

The Junction Multibank is the fifth Multibank in the UK, an initiative co-founded by former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Amazon, which has donated more than 5 million goods to over 500,000 families 

Led by The Junction, with backing from Stockton-on-Tees, Redcar and Cleveland, and Hartlepool Councils, and the Elected Mayor of Middlesbrough, The Junction Multibank will provide brand-new items for social workers, teachers, and community groups to distribute to families in need

Amazon helped establish the 12,000 sq ft donations hub in Middlesbrough and the project has drawn support from Comic Relief, Point North Community Foundation, The PFC trust, and The Teesside Charity

Tuesday, 12 November 2024, Middlesbrough – A new charity initiative is launching in Tees Valley today to donate more than 750,000 surplus goods to 75,000 families in need over the next 12 months. The region’s first Multibank, ‘The Junction Multibank,’ is led by The Junction in Middlesbrough with support from Amazon, former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown, and local council leaders.

The Junction Multibank takes surplus products donated by businesses and gives them to families in need across Tees Valley. Co-founded by Gordon Brown and Amazon, Multibanks are community donation hubs led by a prominent local charity that provide brand-new items for social workers, teachers, other local charities and community groups to distribute to local families.  From clothing, crockery, and cleaning products, to toiletries, towels and toys, Multibanks put business surplus in the hands of those who need it most.

According to a recent report from the End Childhood Poverty coalition, at least one in four children in the North East of England is growing up in poverty. The number is estimated to be even higher in Tees Valley with Middlesbrough seeing the highest rate, with almost half (46.6%) of children in poverty. The Junction Multibank builds on The Junction’s established work supporting children, young people and families across Tees Valley and aims to ensure no good product goes to waste, and no family goes without the essentials they need. Community support organisations, schools and colleges, and homeless shelters in Tees Valley will be able access the donated goods including Footprints in the Community, The 700 Club, Tees Valley Rural Action and Children’s Services Middlesbrough.  

The Multibank will process donations from Amazon and other supporting businesses from a dedicated 12,000 sq. ft warehouse in Middlesbrough. Amazon helped set-up the warehouse operations, providing logistics expertise, tech support, and five team members from its fulfilment centre in Stockton-on-Tees will work on-site full-time for the first year of operation.

The project has drawn support from the leaders of Stockton-on-Tees, Redcar and Cleveland and Hartlepool Councils, and the Elected Mayor of Middlesbrough who have each committed £25,000 to support the project. Additional funding has been provided through the Multibank Fund, established with £1 million from Amazon and Comic Relief.

Gordon Brown, former UK Prime Minister, said: “I’d like to thank Beth Major, The Junction team and everyone who has worked so hard to open a Multibank here in Tees Valley. The key to the work of The Multibank is that we link companies that have good quality, surplus products to community-based charities like The Junction who know the people that need them. 

“The Multibank model benefits us all because we receive and then donate hundreds of thousands of surplus products that might otherwise go to waste. We are tackling pollution and alleviating the effects of poverty by creating a new, cost effective, solution that sustains both the planet and childhood opportunity. Multibanks are not just about meeting needs but offering hope that families struggling to get by can have a better life and in particular as we prepare for Christmas, we want Multibanks to put a smile on every child’s face.”

John Boumphrey, UK Country Manager, Amazon, said: “Our goal is to help as many families as possible across Tees Valley by connecting surplus goods from Amazon and other businesses, with those who need it most. I’m incredibly proud of the work our team is doing, alongside many committed partners, to grow and scale Multibanks, providing support for more than half a million families across the UK.”

Beth Major, CEO, The Junction, said: “No one should struggle alone. We know the challenges that children, young people and families in Tees Valley face alongside the challenges of practitioners trying to meet those needs through our own work. The Junction Multibank will help agencies and practitioners provide essential goods to families and individuals facing challenges, ensuring quicker access to basic needs. This timely support will enable deeper engagement and opportunities for long-term progress.”

Samir Patel, CEO of Comic Relief, said: “With winter fast approaching, this vitally important funding from our Multibank Fund will provide essential support to thousands of families in communities across the North East.  The Junction is already an invaluable lifeline to so many people in the region, and these additional funds will help them reach and support even more people with essential goods.”

Chris Cooke, Elected Mayor of Middlesbrough, said: “Looking after people is a mission that unites both local authorities and the voluntary sector - it is fantastic to see a major corporation getting involved to support us in these efforts. By working together, we can really deliver and give back to our communities. Initiatives like this are exactly what forward thinking councils should be doing to empower residents to live happier, healthier lives.”

This is the fifth Multibank established by Gordon Brown and Amazon in the UK, an initiative which has donated more than 5 million goods to help over 500,000 families from Multibanks in Scotland, Greater Manchester, Wales, London, and now Tees Valley. 

Products are principally donated by Amazon but with growing support from other businesses, including Accrol, Heinz, INEOS, Morrisons, PepsiCo, Poundland, Sofidel, Tesco and Unilever.

The Multibank is part of Amazon's broader commitment to support communities in the North East, having invested over £4 billion since 2010 and created more than 6,500 jobs. Since the start of 2023, Amazon has granted more £100,000 to charities and schools across the region including The Bread & Butter Thing, Hartlepool Foodbank, and Billingham and Stockton Borough Foodbank.