How workers at Amazon in Washington are helping keep children fed during coronavirus lockdown

The team at Amazon’s delivery station on Wearside has helped dish out thousands of food parcels to North East homes during the Covid-19 lockdown.
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Parcels of healthy breakfast food have been dropped off by staff as part of a partnership between Amazon and charity Magic Breakfast.

The packages – which include a range of items from food suppliers who support the scheme, including Heinz, Kellogg’s and Quaker Oats – are handed out to young people who would usually enjoy a free breakfast at school, thanks to the work of the charity.

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As schools have been closed due to the coronavirus outbreak, Magic Breakfast wanted to make sure children who need their services were still getting the most important meal of the day.

Beacon Centre staff member Darren Brown with Amazon lead driver Jason Hogg in South Shields.Beacon Centre staff member Darren Brown with Amazon lead driver Jason Hogg in South Shields.
Beacon Centre staff member Darren Brown with Amazon lead driver Jason Hogg in South Shields.

And thanks to the help of Amazon’s Washington team, more than 17,000 parcels were handed out across the North East region between Monday, May 11 and Friday, May 22.

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Kerry-Anne Lawlor, Country Director of Amazon Logistics, said: “We are delighted to continue our long-standing support of Magic Breakfast by delivering breakfast parcels to the doorsteps of thousands of children during this difficult time, ensuring they have a healthy start to the day.”

Since starting to work with Magic Breakfast in 2016, Amazon has helped provide more than 1.5million breakfasts to thousands of children across the UK.

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And as long as schools remain closed due to the Covid-19 restrictions, the organisations will continue to provide a home delivery service in partnership.

Staff at the schools who use the charity’s services have been organising for the food packs to be collected by families, or arranging delivery to their homes.

Alex Cunningham, CEO of Magic Breakfast, said: “Amazon staff have bent over backwards to help the children and schools we support. In a time when hunger is a reality faced by many, Amazon is enabling Magic Breakfast to reach thousands of vulnerable children with a healthy breakfast - children who can no longer access breakfast provision at school and whose families may be finding it difficult to provide food under lockdown.”

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