400 Amazon employees from the fulfilment centres in Tilbury and Dartford have gone the distance and donated £2,000 to two mental health charities by taking part in a two week-long walking challenge.
The team members from Tilbury and Dartford were challenged to increase their step count to reach a combined total of £2000, which was converted into donations for the sites’ local Mind branches.
By completing the challenge with a total of 15,200,592 steps, the Tilbury fulfilment centre raised £1,000 for Thurrock and Brentwood Mind and the Dartford fulfilment centre raised £1,000 for North Kent Mind.
Thurrock and Brentwood Mind has offered support services for adults in Thurrock experiencing emotional and mental distress for over 40 years. North Kent Mind is an independent mental health charity providing support to people living in Dartford, Gravesham, Swanley and Medway. Both charities offer advice and practical help to local people facing mental health problems.
Speaking on the walking challenge and donation, Omer Kartal, General Manager at the Amazon fulfilment centre in Tilbury said:
“It was great to have some competitive fun with our colleagues at the Dartford fulfilment centre in support of our local Mind branches. As a team, we know that staying active is important for looking after our mental health, and the step challenge gave us extra reason to talk about the excellent work North Kent Mind does in our community when people are struggling. We hope our donation allows the charity’s great support to continue.”
Mantas Kuzabavicius, an Amazon employee who works at Tilbury fulfilment centre and participated in the step challenge, added:
“Who doesn’t like a bit of extra encouragement to get their steps up? And what a great reason to do so. I’m really pleased that Thurrock and Brentwood Mind is reaping the reward of our efforts as a site.”
Lynne Morgan, Thurrock and Brentwood Mind’s CEO said:
“We extend our heartfelt thanks to Mantas Kuzabavicius and the Amazon team for going the extra mile in support of Thurrock and Brentwood Mind. Physical activity is a fantastic way to enhance your mood, connect with your environment, and promote overall wellbeing. For those times when more support is needed, we’re here to help, and we deeply appreciate Amazon’s donation that enables us to continue our vital work.”
Community donations and employee volunteering are just two of the ways Amazon supports the communities where it operates. Amazon co-founded the Multibank initiative with former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown to support families in need. ‘Brick-by-Brick’ Multibank opened in Wigan in 2023, with The Brick. The Multibank network has donated more than 4 million surplus goods to over 400,000 families across Greater Manchester, Scotland, Wales, and London.
Amazon has supported more than 700,000 students across the UK with free STEM education programmes through Amazon Future Engineer and helps community organisations transport meals and other essentials to families in need through its pro bono logistics programme, Amazon Local Good.
Amazon partners with Comic Relief and is the official home of the charity’s iconic Red Nose. Together with its employees, customers, and partners, Amazon has raised over £4.8 million to fund projects that support people across the UK, and around the world.
