A charity that supports homeless people in Manchester has received a £4,000 donation from Amazon’s corporate office in the city.

The donation went to Lifeshare, an organisation that offers a range of support to those experiencing homelessness in Manchester. The charity offers three breakfast services each week for rough sleepers, along with providing hot showers and dry clothing, and in 2023, the project has provided 12,000+ hot meals. The organisation also assists with digital support by refurbishing unused tech to be redistributed to those in need, along with digital skills sessions.

Lifeshare also hosts Manchester’s only 7-day indoor provision for rough sleepers over the holidays, providing hot meals, warm showers, dry clothing to those in need. In 2022 the project saw 700 guests and served 2,200+ meals.

Alex Greenhalgh is a Senior Start-up Development Manager at Amazon in Manchester and he nominated the charity for the donation. Alex said:

“Since 2017, I have run a social enterprise called People of the Streets. We run a photography course, and the photographs are used for public facing exhibits that show first person perspectives of homelessness from people with lived experience of it.”

“In 2018, we did an exhibition in Manchester, and got to work with some team from Lifeshare, an amazing charity providing support right in the centre of the town. The staff and volunteers are lovely and work hard to try to solve complex issues in people’s lives every day.”

Judy Vickers from Lifeshare Limited added:

“We’d all like to say a big thank you to Amazon for this donation, which will have a positive impact on our efforts. This kind of support allows us to offer help to those who need it most and is especially valuable as we enter the colder winter months.”

“We are currently getting ready for our Christmas Project to open on December 23rd and expect to serve 3000+ meals due to the increasing demand on our service. The project is open to anyone struggling this holiday season, so please join us if you need a helping hand at 2 Dale Street, M1 1JW.”

The donation forms part of Amazon’s Volunteer Cash Donation Programme, where Amazon employees nominate local causes where they volunteer their time, to receive a cash donation from the company. In collaboration with hundreds of community organisations around the world, Amazon employees are encouraged to participate and lead in-person and virtual volunteering opportunities to support causes they’re passionate about.

Community donations and employee volunteering are just two of the ways Amazon supports the communities where its employees live and work. Earlier this year, Amazon opened a Multibank for people experiencing poverty in Greater Manchester. Launched in partnership with former Prime Minister Gordon Brown, The Brick, and Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham, ‘Brick-by-Brick’ in Wigan offers an emergency service for families, providing surplus essentials like nappies, toilet rolls, toothpaste and school uniforms, donated by businesses like Amazon and others, directly to those in need. The first Multibank opened in Scotland in 2022 and the initiative has supported more than 150,000 families experiencing poverty, with the donation of more than 1.5million surplus essential goods.

Amazon has supported more than 500,000 students across the UK with free computer science and STEM education programmes through Amazon Future Engineer. Amazon helps community organisations transport meals and other essentials to families in need through its pro bono logistics programme, including more than seven million healthy breakfasts to children at risk of hunger in partnership with Magic Breakfast.

Earlier this year, Amazon partnered with Comic Relief to become the official home of the Red Nose. Amazon employees across the UK hosted fundraising activities and together with their customers and partners, raised £2.7 million to support those going through the toughest time of their lives.

Learn more about the ways Amazon supports its communities at www.aboutamazon.co.uk/impact/community.