Companies have a choice when it comes to excess product. It can go to landfill or it can be sent to people whose lives will be changed as a result. Many UK companies make contact with us when they have significant surplus. Usually, though, they do not manufacture inside the UK so the items may be located elsewhere in the world.

China, of course, is one example. This year saw several massive donations of clothing offered in China for NGOs within the country. The companies involved were, in each case, reticent in seeking publicity for themselves, but not reticent in their generosity. One provided 15,000 children’s items, and another gave 15,255 items for both adults and children. Through Global Hand we matched these and other offers with the Chinese Relief and Development Foundation (CRDF), an NGO which is one of 30 awarded for its transparency. They work in disaster relief, elderly care, student support and provision for children and families where parents are employed far from home.