Wilko and its hard-working team members are coming together to offer support, products and funds to causes, frontline key workers, families and the elderly during the Covid-19 crisis.
The essential retailer has launched a £125,000 community fund which will be used to support schools, food banks, animal shelters and the elderly nationwide.
In addition, wilko will be donating more than 160,000 Easter Eggs and bumper batches of non-essential food items to key workers, NHS staff across the country, as well as YMCA centres, Age UK, schools and families close to the business’ Nottinghamshire and Welsh distribution centres, which will be delivered this week just in time for Easter.
To kickstart its volunteering effort, wilko’s support centre team members will work with the Alzheimer’s Society to run its services that provide regular check-in calls to people who may feel especially isolated or lonely during the national lockdown. The business will also be fundraising via its team members for its three charity partners, the Alzheimer’s Society, Save the Children and Teenage Cancer Trust, which it supports via its Together for Families programme.
Jerome Saint-Marc, wilko CEO, said: “We know this crisis is hitting those who are already vulnerable the hardest. So we’re focusing our community work particularly on families and the elderly, ensuring they’ve access to essential non-food items. We’re so grateful to the NHS staff and frontline key workers up and down the country who are working tirelessly to keep the nation safe and hope our small gesture of an Easter chocolate gift will let them know how much the nation appreciates them.
“We’re incredibly proud of and thankful to our team members across the entire business who have done a phenomenal job in ensuring hardworking families have access to the products they need and we appreciate the extra mile they’re going here to support local causes and communities throughout the UK.”
Wilko’s 415 stores nationwide are open for families across the UK to safely buy the non-food essentials they need during the Coronavirus outbreak; providing an alternative to the high demand grocers with most wilko shops on accessible high streets.
To protect team members and customers, wilko has temporarily removed pick n mix from sale but are open for everyday essentials – cleaners, tissues, toilet paper, bleach, over the counter medicines, supplies for babies and for feeding and caring for pets – as well as DIY and hardware products helping families fix things in the house and follow government advice to work from home.
