Baby clothes are among the 221 tonnes of donations made at the retailer’s sustainability store in Leeds – equivalent to 4,000 bags.
Coats, jeans, dresses and baby clothes are being donated weekly in the store, which has provided a donation point for Asda customers while the Salvation Army stores have been closed during lockdown.
By donating to the drop and shop or clothing banks which are situated in over 400 of the retailer’s car parks, customers are supporting the work being done throughout the UK to help some of the most vulnerable people. The Salvation Army works to provide essentials like hot meals for rough sleepers, food parcels for struggling families and doorstep friendship for isolated older people, particularly during the pandemic.
In Leeds, when the pandemic hit, many support services offering emergency food were forced to close but Salvation Army churches were able to step in or increase their existing services. The Leeds West Hunslett and Morley churches provided emergency food parcels, with volunteers delivering food to people who weren’t able to get to them for help, while its Leeds Central church prepared hot daily meals.
Karen Todd, Asda’s senior manager for zero waste, commented: “We’re really proud as a retailer to be able to support the great work of The Salvation Army in our communities and it’s been fantastic to see our customers and colleagues really support the drop off point in our Middleton store, which has been collecting huge amounts of donations each week.
“Tackling the issue of waste is something that our customers and colleagues are passionate about us addressing, which is why schemes like this that support them to do the right thing for the planet are really important. Not only are the unwanted clothes and other items given a second lease of life, but they’re also being diverted from potentially ending up in landfill.”
Kirk Bradley, SAToL’s head of corporate partnerships, added: We are thrilled to be working with Asda’s sustainability team on the new drop and shop concept. This enables us to interact with Asda’s customers and donors; it also gives more people the opportunity to reuse and recycle their pre-loved items which helps reduce waste and raise more money for vital charity work.”
