Gordon Brown-backed charity expanding to help more families with cost of living

A charity founded by former prime minister Gordon Brown is expanding to boost its aim of supporting families struggling with the cost-of-living crisis.

A new Multibank is to open in Middlesbrough on Tuesday, operated by local charity The Junction, and is expected to donate more than 750,000 surplus goods over the next year to 75,000 families across the region.

The Multibank network, founded by Mr Brown with support from online giant Amazon, is now backed by Comic Relief and growing numbers of businesses, redistributing surplus items such a clothes, shoes, toiletries, hygiene products, bedding, home furnishings, toys and baby goods to families struggling to make ends meet.

The first Multibank opened in Fife three years and others now operate out of Wigan, Swansea and London – and have between them distributed more than five million surplus goods to 500,000 families.

Mr Brown said: “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.

“The Multibank model benefits all of us because by making sure no good product goes to waste we are alleviating poverty by tackling pollution and creating a new cost effective solution that sustains both the planet and child hood opportunity.

“I thank everyone who is giving so much of their time and talent to support the good work of The Multibanks.

“I thank actor Peter Capaldi and composer Daniel Pemberton who have both donated their time and extraordinary talent to make our first ever Multibank Christmas advertising campaign.”

Beth Major, chief executive of 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, chief executive 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.”

John Boumphrey, UK country manager at 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.”

A Government spokesperson said: “The mass dependence on food banks is unacceptable, that’s why we’ve extended the Household Support Fund again to help struggling families with the cost of essentials.

“Alongside this, we are increasing the national living wage, uprating benefits and helping over one million households by introducing a fair repayment rate on Universal Credit deductions, while our Child Poverty Taskforce develops an ambitious strategy to give all children the best start in life.”