An international movers company has set up a service to help expats give unwanted goods to charity.
Oceanair International is a household goods removal company that specialises in moving possessions overseas. Having been deluged with an overwhelming amount of requests from people who wanted them to get rid of possession instead of ship them abroad, they explored options to make use of these unwanted items.
Teaming up with the British Red Cross, Oceanair International now gives unwanted items to the charity, creating 11 percent of its total fundraising revenue.
The scheme has been a wonderful success, reportedly earning about £4,000 pounds within its initial nine months. Moving expats simply hand over items they no longer want, and instead of sending them abroad with everything else they are given to charity instead.
Oceanair International director James Hooper said: “People who are moving to a new location often want to lighten the load. The partnership is good for the charity, which received a lot less donations during the economic crisis, and it also adds a bit of extra value for our customers. We hope to continue it for many more years.”
Of course, the Red Cross are delighted with the arrangement, as explains Mark Astarita, director of fundraising at the British Red Cross: “We are very grateful to Oceanair International who have helped us to raise £4,000 so far by kindly collecting people’s unwanted items before they move abroad. Luckily for us most people want to get rid of clothes, toys and electrical items when they move – all of which we can sell in our shops and raise money for vulnerable people in crisis in the UK and overseas.”