Fair Trade & Sustainability, Trends & Events
Giving Back for Black Friday
As a Fair Trade company, we don’t usually offer big flashy discounts. Not only do we make sure the expert artisans that create our gifts are paid fairly for their skills, but we also want to encourage you to only buy the things you need and love – not just buy them because they’re on offer. But this year, with the cost-of-living crisis hitting everyone, we want to do what we can to make Christmas a little bit easier. That’s why we’re offering a huge 30% off over 100 Fair Trade gifts over Black Friday week, from the 21st to the 28th of November.
That said, in previous years, rather than a discount we’ve donated a percentage of our sales to local charities as our way of giving back. While we’re offering a discount this year, of course we still want to do what we can to give back locally. So in addition to our special offers, we’ll also be donating 10% of all sales on our website in the Black Friday week to the Brighton Food Bank.
We’re so proud to be able to say that all your purchases made throughout the year already provide direct support to our fantastic artisans in India, Sri Lanka and Nepal. But when we can, we’re always looking to find ways to help those close to home too. In 2020 we donated 10% of sales over the Black Friday weekend for the crucial service, but this year we want to raise even more. We’re so excited to see what we’ll be able to raise, and we hope you’ll help us to reach our goal by choosing to shop with us for your Christmas gifts.
About the Brighton Food Bank
The Brighton Food Bank is a fantastic charity that helps families and individuals in times of need. Since 2000, they’ve provided food as well as emotional, physical, and spiritual support to those who are unable to buy food and other essentials for themselves and their families.
Not only do they provide the essentials, but they also consider it important to offer a high quality and range of food for those in need, with all dietary needs catered to where possible. They also offer ‘Start-Up Home Packs’, which include essentials like a tin opener, kettle, pans, and bedding, and more recently, ‘Warming Packs’ containing hot water bottles, blankets and hot chocolate.
They also signpost anyone in need to agencies across the city for expert advice on debt and benefits. Their priority is to do what they can for their clients, tailoring their support to each individual case until they’re back on their feet and no longer need their help.
As they receive no funding from the government or local council, they rely on the generosity of individuals and local businesses to fund their work. In 2021 they were able to help an estimated 1223 people with over 5000 boxes of food. This year, they’ve seen their need for support increase 30%.
Why we want to help
As a family run Fair Trade business, our number one priority is to put people first. Whether that’s people that are being exploited, in difficult situations, or just struggling day to day, it’s incredibly important to us that we do does good. We’re all bombarded by offers on Black Friday, but we want to encourage everyone to think about where their money goes, and who it helps. And we hope you feel the same!
If you’re local too, you can also donate to major supermarkets including Waitrose, Sainsburys, Morrsions, Tesco, the Co-op, and Asda. You can even place an online order with any supermarket, and have it delivered to their main address at Brighton Food Bank, Calvary Church Building, Stanley Road, Brighton, BN1 4NJ. Find more information about locations and donation suggestions on their website. And for updates and more information, be sure to follow the Brighton Food Bank on Facebook.