North East Multibank marks six-month anniversary with milestone moment
The first Multibank in the Tees Valley region has marked the six-month anniversary of its launch by distributing its one millionth item to a family in need.
Known as The Junction Multibank, the initiative is run by Middlesbrough-based charity The Junction, with backing from Amazon, former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown, and local authority leaders.
The Junction Multibank, which opened in November 2024 and operates from a 12,000 sq. ft. warehouse in Middlesbrough, receives surplus items from businesses and redistributes them to families in need across Tees Valley.
Since its launch, The Junction Multibank has helped more than 57,000 families in Tees Valley, surpassing its annual target in the first six months of operation. These families have received a total of one million items which were donated to the Multibank by local businesses like Amazon.
Simon Nott, Manager of The Junction Multibank, said: “Today we mark the hard work and success of our Multibank team – including staff from The Junction Foundation and Amazon employees from its fulfilment centre in Stockton-on-Tees – over the past six months.
“The team has worked tirelessly to get the Multibank up and running and to ensure its success. This effort has enabled us to reach out to people experiencing poverty in Tees Valley, offering material support to those who need it on an unprecedented scale.
“We also celebrate the hard work of our referral partners, a mix of social workers, teachers, charities, community organisations, housing associations and other organisations which support those in need in Tees Valley. Our referral partners access the Multibank’s support to form a coalition of compassion that we are pleased to be part of.”
Amazon’s support of The Junction Multibank also sees seven employees from Amazon’s Stockton-on-Tees fulfilment centre working full-time at the Multibank to help run daily operations, with Amazon also providing tech and logistical expertise.
Over the past six months, staff from Amazon’s four fulfilment centres across the North East have volunteered their time to support donation processing and packing for distribution. These efforts have included assembling school supply kits, preparing packages for local foodbanks, and leading a Christmas toy drive that delivered over 1,000 presents to children.
To date, more than 160 volunteers from Amazon’s sites in Stockton-on-Tees, Darlington, Durham, and Gateshead have contributed over 1,000 hours of service, with Stockton-on-Tees accounting for over 500 of those hours.
Mckenzie Sacchet, General Manager at Amazon in Darlington, added: “It is a privilege to play a part in supporting people across Tees Valley. The Multibank network was established to help as many families as possible across the UK, so it’s amazing to hear about the impact The Junction Multibank is having in the six months since it launched.
“One million items distributed is an important achievement and I’m very proud of everyone who was involved in making that happen.”
According to a recent report from the End Childhood Poverty coalition, at least one in four children in the North East of England is growing up in poverty. The number is estimated to be even higher in Tees Valley with almost 50,000 children currently experiencing poverty. The Junction Multibank builds on The Junction Foundation’s established work supporting children, young people and families across Tees Valley and aims to ensure that no good product goes to waste, and no family goes without.
The Junction Multibank was the fifth Multibank established by Gordon Brown and Amazon in the UK, an initiative which has donated more than 8 million goods to help over 600,000 families from Multibanks in Scotland, Greater Manchester, Wales, London, and now Tees Valley.
Products are principally donated by Amazon but with growing support from other businesses, including Accrol, Heinz, INEOS, Morrisons, PepsiCo, Poundland, Sofidel, Tesco and Unilever.
The Multibank is part of Amazon's broader commitment to support communities in the North East, having invested over £4 billion since 2010 and created more than 6,500 jobs. Since the start of 2023, Amazon has granted more than £100,000 to charities and schools across the region including The Bread & Butter Thing, Hartlepool Foodbank, and Billingham and Stockton Borough Foodbank.