Photo: InPost UK

Secret Senda: parcel locker giant offers free deliveries to homeless charity

The UK division of parcel locker delivery giant InPost has announced the launch of a new campaign named ‘Secret Senda' that's run in partnership with homelessness charity Shelter.

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The UK-wide initiative, which is now running and shall continue until 31st December, ensures that members of the public can use any one of InPost’s 2,500 lockers across the UK to send charitable donations to Shelter for free.

The company says it launched the program after the consumer research it commissioned had revealed the average person is sitting on £400 worth of unwanted items. Despite this, InPost says nearly one in five (19%) people will throw away unwanted but valuable items instead of donating them to charity. The key excuse cited for this was a lack of time.

According to Shelter, a household becomes homeless in England every four minutes, and last Christmas alone there were 120,000 children without a home and in temporary accommodation.

InPost therefore believes that its lockers provide consumers with an easy and convenient way to donate, in a bid to support all those whose lives have been impacted by the loss of their home. InPost lockers are accessible 24/7 and positioned at locations such as train stations, petrol forecourts and supermarkets including Tesco, Morrisons and Lidl.

To use the service, consumers must ensure their donated items are well packaged and visit the InPost website to download a mobile QR code. This code will unlock their chosen locker, and ensure the package is safely secured ready for collection and delivery to Shelter.

Commenting on the initiative, Jason Tavaria, C.E.O of InPost UK, said:

“We are extremely proud to partner with Shelter to launch the Secret Senda campaign this Christmas. We know that consumers want to do the right thing and support charities but sometimes struggle with the logistics of dropping off their items. Our partnership will help to remove this barrier by opening up our locker network for hassle-free donations, 24/7, while also helping to keep Shelter’s charity shops stocked over the coming winter month.”

Meanwhile, Andy Harris, director of fundraising from Shelter, also called for UK citizens to donate good quality items this Christmas:

“We’re in the grips of a housing emergency, millions of people don’t have a safe and secure home. Too many have faced a difficult year in cold, damps flats, in unsuitable and unsafe temporary accommodation, or even on the streets. As growing numbers of people need our support, we need yours. Good quality clothes, bags, shoes, accessories and homeware are all really welcome and we’d like to thank people in advance for every donation.”