REDUCE waste, become more sustainable and give back to the community at the same time. Three admirable aims for any business and the motivation behind a Northamptonshire charity’s new campaign aimed at the county’s retailers.
The Lewis Foundation – which provides free gift packs to adults cancer patients in hospital – is calling on retailers across Northamptonshire and beyond to donate their surplus stock which the charity will use to raise funds for the thousands of individuals it supports each year.
The campaign has the support already of Sol Retail, which supplies beauty products worldwide from its headquarters on Northampton’s Rothersthorpe Avenue industrial estate. The company has gifted more than £200,000 worth of surplus stock to The Lewis Foundation since owner Barry Tong met the charity’s founders Lee and Lorraine Lewis at a fundraising event in 2018.
Pictured above: Lee and Lorraine Lewis (right) with Barry Tong and his wife Katy.
Barry is quick to encourage other local businesses to do the same. “Our donations provide The Lewis Foundation with multiple opportunities to keep doing what they are doing, to drive revenue and continue to help others,” he says. “You often do not see the end result but these gifts are going to those in need and those locally.
“We donate so much product because we know they do so much good with it and it helps push their work further.”
The charity uses the surplus stock in a number of ways, including as tombola prizes and as items for their patient gift packs. The branded products are also resold at The Lewis Foundation’s monthly pop-up shop in Northampton’s Grosvenor Centre.
“The donations from Barry as well as his advice and support over the years have been invaluable to the work we do,” says Lorraine. “It is a model that works brilliantly and provides a way for local businesses to give back to the community while reducing waste.” The Lewis Foundation is keen to bring more Northamptonshire business on board and is promoting the sustainability campaign with the help of Sol Retail through their LinkedIn and social channels, as well as contacting retailers direct to ask for their support.
There are no restrictions on the type of stock they can receive or how much. To find out more, email Lorraine Lewis at or visit www.thelewisfoundation.co.uk
