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Supporting our COVID-19 Charity Partners

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Barclays' COVID-19 Community Aid Package in action

Barclays launched a £100m COVID-19 Community Aid Package to support charities working in the communities hardest hit by the pandemic. We speak to some of the people around the world who are being helped.

 

Case studies

Acumen America: “Rebuilding a system that works for all Americans”

We hear from Barclays’ non-profit partner investing in entrepreneurs that are finding innovative ways to help those worst-hit by COVID-19.

Partnerships like these are going to move our communities toward greater inclusivity.

Catherine Casey Nanda

Director of Acumen America

Banco Alimentare della Lombardia

Thanks to the important contribution from Barclays, we have been able to deliver more than 3.8 million meals to people who are struggling.

Dario Boggio Marzet

Chairman of Banco Alimentare Lombardia

Banco Alimentare della Lombardia: “A meal for anyone who knocks on our door”

We find out how support from Barclays’ £100m COVID-19 Community Aid Package helped a regional food bank in Italy to distribute nearly 100,000 meals each day.

Family Action: “Giving people really focused support and then letting them fly”

Families experiencing poverty, disadvantage and social isolation are being disproportionately affected by the pandemic. Find out how Family Action is helping them.

Our aim is to really look for the strengths in individuals and families. It's not about breeding dependency, it's about giving people really focused support and then letting them fly.

David Holmes CBE

Chief Executive of Family Action

Barclays’ support allows us to get food where it's needed. It has also raised the profile of what we do.

Lindsay Boswell

CEO, FareShare

FareShare: “Barclays’ support allows us to get food where it's needed”

How food charity FareShare is tackling hunger across the UK during the pandemic, with support from Barclays’ £100m COVID-19 Community Aid Package.

Feeding America: “Everybody has a role to play in ending hunger”

How one US non-profit is helping food banks and pantries like the Interfaith Food Pantry Network to respond to the hunger crisis during the pandemic, with help from Barclays.

Two people wearing masks stand with a cart of food.

We are working every day to try to make it easier for people to find food when they need it and get it in a safe way.

Lauren Biedron

Vice President, Corporate Partnerships at Feeding America

Connor Roe, Focus Ireland

A lack of human connection can isolate people who are already experiencing significant trauma.

Conor Roe

Project Leader for the Focus Ireland Coffee Shop

Focus Ireland: “The pandemic shone a spotlight on the homelessness crisis”

Focus Ireland is a charity and housing association that works with people across Ireland who are homeless or at risk of losing their homes, focusing on families, young people and children with complex needs.

The Food Bank Singapore: “We wanted to reduce waste and feed the hungry”

How a forward-thinking food bank charity is helping to reduce food poverty in Singapore – Supported by Barclays.

Family Action

I think businesses have the power to change the world.

Nichol Ng

Co-Founder, The Food Bank Singapore

That dynamic of being far from home and not being able to support their families has created a big emotional challenge. They smile all the time, but the things they go through – they are more resilient than anyone I know.

Michael Cheah

Executive Director of HealthServe

HealthServe: “This pandemic has taken everyone by surprise”

How the Singapore charity is supporting migrant workers with food and shelter – with help from Barclays.

Hot Bread Kitchen: “Our community is using the funds to keep food on the table”

We talk to the New York non-profit supporting women in the food industry – and backing small food businesses through the pandemic.

Barclays’ COVID-19 support for Hot Bread Kitchen has had an enormous impact on the lives of women, entrepreneurs, and their families who lost their employment or had their income reduced due to the pandemic.

Shaolee Sen

CEO of Hot Bread Kitchen

Hayato and Sachiko stand together in a classroom.

I was spending sleepless nights worrying that we would have to close down.

Kuniyasu Hiraiwa

Founder and Chief Executive, Houkago NPO Afterschool

Houkago NPO Afterschool: “Without this help, I could not have continued to work”

How Barclays-backed non-profit Houkago NPO Afterschool supported thousands of school children during COVID-19, and enabled their parents to work on the frontline.

JBWS: “For victims of domestic abuse, COVID-19 was like a jail sentence”

How Barclays is supporting JBWS, a US charity providing refuge and a fresh start to survivors of domestic abuse.

A woman looks out her window, holding a mug.

All of those things that have always been an issue for victims and survivors escalated to a whole other level.

Diane Williams

President and CEO, JBWS

Jerry Dawson, a Macmillan Cancer Support service uer

Macmillan was there for me in my time of need. They had advice and support, which was a great source of comfort.

Jerry Dawson

Macmillan Cancer Support: “We do whatever it takes to help people with cancer”

Jerry Dawson shares the difficulties he faced going through treatment during the pandemic and how he was helped by a grant from Macmillan Cancer Support, a UK charity supported by Barclays.

Magic Bus: “We are helping to keep families safe from hunger”

Magic Bus has sharpened its focus on reducing the learning gap amid school closures – while also rising to the need of the hour: tackling hunger among marginalised families, and ensuring children have access to adequate nutrition.

Magic Bus at work in India

We don’t work in the area of disaster relief, but as soon as we recognised the wide-ranging impacts causing severe disruption across communities, we realised we needed to take urgent action.

Jayant Rastogi

Global CEO, Magic Bus

We've recruited and trained a large number of volunteers to help us and I'm really proud that we can deliver – we couldn't do that without the support of places like Barclays.

Matt Williams

Head of Information and Support, Marie Curie

Marie Curie: “We’re there for anybody affected by terminal illness”

How the UK charity is supporting terminally ill people and their families during the pandemic – with help from Barclays.

Plan India: “Every person that we reach out to has a story of both distress and resilience”

Thousands of families in India have lost their income since the start of the pandemic. Find out how Plan’s on-the-ground response is helping them to survive.

The connection is not just about a donor-recipient relationship – it reaches beyond that, as a partnership for a common cause.

Mohammed Asif,

Executive Director of Plan India

A woman leans on a kitchen counter and is silhouetted against a window.

It’s great to see that the resources that helped me through such a difficult time of my life will be available to other women in similar situations.

Amy,

supported by Refuge

Refuge: “We want people to know they aren’t alone”

How Refuge is supporting survivors of modern slavery and tech abuse during COVID-19 Supported by Barclays.

Robin Hood: “Coronavirus shines a bright light on the challenges in our systems

We talk to New York’s largest poverty-fighting organisation about the impact of the pandemic.

When there's a crisis, it is vulnerable people who are most affected. We've certainly seen that with coronavirus.

Lindsey Sheskey

Managing Director, Development, Robin Hood

Tina Thomas sits in front of her business, Little Comforts Childcare.

I still cannot thank the Wilmington Strong Fund enough.

Tina Thomas,

Founder, Little Comforts Childcare

Wilmington Strong Fund: “The grant relieved financial pressure at a really difficult time”

How the Barclays-backed Wilmington Strong Fund filled a funding gap for local business owners in Delaware, US, during the pandemic – with a focus on women- and minority-owned businesses.

World Central Kitchen: "A nourishing, hot plate of food is a sign that someone cares”

We talk to New York restaurant owner Karina Guimaraes and World Central Kitchen about how the Barclays’ COVID-19 Community Aid Package supported their vital work.

World Central Kitchen Karina

We focus on a nourishing, hot plate of food because we think and hope it will be a sign that someone cares.

Lisa Abrego

Director of Communications Strategy, World Central Kitchen