Discover our Charities and Team-Building Initiatives

Individual donations of food, toothpaste, nappies and other essentials were made by each Praxity team member to a local foodbank on February 17 as part of ‘Random Acts of Kindness Day’.

The donations were hand delivered to Epsom and Ewell Foodbank to help people in crisis on the outskirts of London.

Every day, people in the UK go hungry for reasons ranging from redundancy to receiving an unexpected bill on a low income. A simple box of food makes a big difference. Epsom and Ewell Foodbank provides three days’ nutritionally balanced food and support to local people in crisis. Volunteers sort and pack the food donations ready to be given to those in need.

Since opening in 2012, Epsom and Ewell Foodbank has fed more than 50,000 people and now generates 200 hours of volunteering every week. The foodbank is part of a nationwide network of centres where 40,000 volunteers give up their time to help. The volunteers meet clients over a warm drink or free hot meal and are able to signpost people to agencies able to solve the longer-term problem.

One of the recipients, former police force worker Richard said: “Without the foodbank, I don’t think I would be here today.”

The concept of Random Acts of Kindness Day was started in the United States in 1995 by a small non-profit organisation, The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation. The first designated kindness day was held in New Zealand in 2004. It is now a global initiative to promote kind acts.

Bedding for the Homeless

The Praxity team has donated new survival packs to the Crisp Packet Project, an innovative programme to provide bedding for the homeless.

Under the project, hundreds of volunteers fuse together crisp packets to make sleeping bags, blankets and mats to provide warmer, drier bedding for rough sleepers and people who cannot afford to heat their homes. The reconditioned plastic bedding is heat-reflecting and gives an extra layer of protection from the cold and rain.

Praxity joined the initiative in 2021 to provide bedding as well as essential items for vulnerable people in the South of England. Each survival pack donated contains multiple items such as a crisp packet mat, sheet, poncho, wash kit, bamboo toothbrush made from recycled materials, toothpaste, soap, flannel, hat, gloves, hand warmers, socks and sanitiser.

Inventor and Crisp Packet Project coordinator Pen Huston said: “It’s just epic that something as simple as a crisp packet can help save lives, help the environment and bring people together.”

Praxity Webmaster Jess Honey said: “The Crisp Packet Project plays a crucial role in how we demonstrate our dedication to assisting both individuals and communities. We are committed to regularly assisting the organisation in their efforts to protect the enormous number of vulnerable people living on the streets, because doing so is essential to ensuring their welfare, safety and future.”