On Wednesday 25th March, Naomi Sutton, Ed Rook and Tom Drew spent the day at the Naomi House & Jacksplace warehouse just outside Winchester, supporting the team there to organise donations.
Naomi House & Jacksplace provides specialist hospice care to almost 550 children and young adults living with life-limiting or life-threatening conditions across central southern England. For those diagnosed with such conditions, the charity offers a true home from home, supporting not only the children and young adults in their care but also the families around them.
To fund this vital work, the charity runs around 20 retail shops, staffed by dedicated volunteers and retail teams. At the heart of this operation is their warehouse in Winnall, which serves as the central hub for receiving, sorting, and distributing donated goods, keeping shelves stocked with quality CDs and DVDs, toys, games and even electrical items. With an estimated 30,000 bags of donations arriving each year, the team is never short of work. They warmly welcome corporate volunteers and take great pride in showing visitors how their efforts in the warehouse directly support the shops and, in turn, the hospices themselves; a crucial contribution, given that the charity requires £10 million a year to operate and receives only 10% of that from government funding.
After a brief tour of the warehouse from Warehouse Manager, Kevin, Naomi, Ed and Tom threw themselves into the task of sorting through donations, making a real impact over the course of a highly productive day.
Tom shares a story:
“We did get to meet two of the team that work in the eBay area, and they told us a story about a necklace that couldn’t be sold in a shop where it was listed for £75. After some thorough research, the team had determined that the necklace was much more valuable than anyone had realised and it ended up selling on eBay for £1,600 — a great win for the charity.”
Ed comments:
“The team at the warehouse were so incredibly welcoming; the work they all do should be applauded. Huge shout out to Warehouse Assistant, Laura-she made the whole experience extremely fun. I would advise anyone from K2 to take a slot volunteering at the warehouse when it comes available.”
Naomi continues:
“My highlight of the day was Laura trying on all the hats and various headgear — she is so funny and full of life! She left the corporate world to work full-time for Naomi House & Jacksplace, and I can understand why. This was my 3rd full day with this charity; they have become very special to me.”
K2 is committed to empowering its global employees to be responsible citizens and make a positive impact on local communities and the planet. K2 team members around the world are given two days paid leave per annum to spend supporting charitable causes. Naomi House & Jacksplace is just one of K2’s global charity partners.
