More Than £1 Million Donated to Good Causes: A Bakers Foundation Milestone
The Bakers Foundation charity donations have reached a milestone that recently made us stop for a moment. Since Bakers moved to Brentwood in 2011, we have now donated more than £1 million to charities, community organisations and good causes.
It is a milestone we’re proud of.
But, much more importantly, behind that number are hundreds of individual stories and some extraordinary organisations.
There are families finding support when life suddenly becomes very difficult. Children and young people being given opportunities they might otherwise miss. Foodbanks supporting people in our local community. Charities helping those living with serious illness. Community groups creating places where people feel included. And organisations caring for both people and animals that simply couldn’t continue doing what they do without support.
Those are the stories that matter.
Our latest Bakers Foundation donations
At the end of each financial year, we sit down to review the organisations the Bakers Foundation has been supporting and consider where we can make the greatest difference next.
Some relationships go back many years.
Kids Inspire, SNAP, Wipe Away Those Tears, Challenging MND, Essex Wildlife Trust, Brentwood Foodbank and Billericay Foodbank are among the organisations Bakers has supported regularly.
Others have become part of the Bakers Foundation more recently, including Saint Francis Hospice, Home-Start Essex, Hopefield Animal Sanctuary, Lennox Children’s Cancer Fund and the MND Foundation.
And every time we do this, we’re reminded just how different the needs of each organisation can be.
Sometimes the most useful funding is simply funding
One thing we’ve learned from working with charities is that the glamorous bit isn’t always what needs paying for.
Grants can often be available for a particular project or piece of equipment. Finding money to keep services running, pay everyday costs and respond quickly when circumstances change can be much harder.
Home-Start Essex explained this particularly clearly to us.
The organisation supports families with young children who may be experiencing isolation, mental health difficulties, disability, housing problems, family conflict or other challenges. Demand is increasing while funding is becoming harder to secure.
Earlier this year, the charity told us that Bakers’ support could make a tangible difference immediately and help it continue supporting families across Essex, including in Brentwood.
That’s exactly the sort of practical impact we want the Bakers Foundation to have.
More than 5,000 families supported by SNAP
Our relationship with SNAP is another that means a great deal to us.
Based just down the road from Bakers in Brentwood, SNAP supports families with children who have additional needs or disabilities.
Its services range from a helpline and one-to-one advice to specialist talks, counselling and activities for children and young people.
After one of our donations earlier this year, the charity told us that more than 5,000 families across Essex continue to rely on SNAP for compassion, guidance and hope.
That gives some perspective to what sits behind a name on our donations list.
A place to belong at Saint Francis Hospice
We’ve also been getting to know the team at Saint Francis Hospice.
One particular area that stood out to us was its Young Adults Group. It supports 16 to 25-year-olds living with life-limiting conditions, bringing young people together with others who understand some of what they are experiencing.
Monthly sessions include therapeutic treatments, creative activities, outings, music therapy and shared meals. They also give parents, carers and families opportunities for support and connection.
The hospice describes the group as somewhere young adults can feel valued, supported and part of a community that understands them.
We think that is something worth supporting.
The charities our team asks us to support
Possibly our favourite element of the Bakers Foundation is one that didn’t come from a formal charity strategy at all.
We ask our employees to nominate causes that matter to them.
Some nominations come because an organisation has directly supported their family. Others relate to an illness or condition affecting somebody close to them. Sometimes a member of the team simply knows of a small local organisation doing something brilliant.
This year’s employee nominations include causes supporting people affected by Friedreich’s Ataxia, dementia, diabetes and polycystic kidney disease, alongside support for veterans, people with disabilities, therapy dogs and other community causes.
The meeting where we agree the donations can therefore become quite personal.
And that’s a good thing.
It means charitable giving at Bakers isn’t just something decided by the company. The people who work here can influence where some of that support goes too.
How did we get to £1 million?
Not through one enormous gesture.
Bakers moved to Brentwood in 2011, and our charitable support has grown gradually alongside the business.
There have been donations, fundraising events, sponsorships, staff nominations and relationships with organisations that we’ve continued to support year after year.
Eventually, the Bakers Foundation gave that activity a more formal structure.
Reaching £1 million was never a target when we started.
It is simply what 15 years of continuing to support good causes has added up to.
And perhaps that’s the nicest thing about the milestone.
It’s one big number made up of a very large number of much smaller acts of support.
To all of the charities, volunteers, fundraisers and community organisations we’ve met along the way: thank you for what you do.
We’re very pleased to be able to play our part.
Reflecting on the £1m milestone of Bakers Foundation Charity Donations
Steve Baker, Managing Director said:
“Passing £1 million is a milestone we’re very proud of, but the number isn’t really the story. The important part is what the charities and organisations we support are able to do with that funding. We meet some incredible people doing difficult and important work in our community, and we’re fortunate that the success of Bakers allows us to help them.
It is also something the whole Bakers team contributes to. The company can only do this because of the work everyone here puts in, and I particularly like seeing employees nominate organisations that mean something personally to them.”
Kirsty Dailly, PR & Marketing Manager, added:
“We don’t see this as something to shout about for the sake of it. The milestone gives us an opportunity to recognise some of the brilliant organisations we’ve been lucky enough to get to know over the years. They are the people doing the work every day. We’re proud that Bakers can play a small part in helping them continue it.”
Looking ahead
As the Bakers Foundation grows, our goal remains the same: to support a wide range of causes that matter to our staff, customers, and local community, while making a lasting impact on the lives of those who need it most.
For more about our community and charity work, visit: Baker Labels Charity & Community
Some of the many charities that have been supported by the Bakers Foundation
Could Your Charity Benefit?
The Bakers Foundation looks to support charities and good causes in the Brentwood and Essex area. If you want to be considered for a donation in the future please get in touch.