MACFARLANE Packaging has announced that pets across Britain will benefit from a new partnership between the firm and Blue Cross, which will see donated pet food delivered to the places where it is needed most.
As the cost of living crisis continues, more and more people are turning to pet foodbanks to feed their animals, Macfarlane explained. Blue Cross is a charity that provides pet foodbanks where owners can source food. The organisation also works with human foodbanks, supporting them with pet food.
Blue Cross has received donations of dog, cat and other pet food but faced the challenge of getting these supplies to front-line foodbanks and community hubs.
Now Macfarlane Packaging’s logistics team has stepped in, deploying some of its Regional Distribution Centres (RDCs) and a number of its 150-strong fleet of trucks, to solve the problem.
Macfarlane will collect the donated pet food and deliver pallets of it to its RDCs. The supplies will then be sent to Blue Cross’s pet foodbanks and community distribution points. Over 40 deliveries are scheduled that will see the partnership extend well into 2023.
Tim Hylton, Macfarlane’s logistics director, who leads deliveries on behalf of the packaging distributor, said, “No one at Macfarlane would want pets to go without, just because these supplies were in the wrong place. So, we’re happy to step in and help. It’s a great opportunity to give back to the communities we operate in and to our four-legged friends.”
Chris Burghes, chief executive at Blue Cross, added, “Our pet foodbanks across the UK are proving to be a lifeline to many pet owners, helping to keep pets and their owners together through difficult times. We are so grateful to Macfarlane for offering their services to help us to get the pet food to food banks and support even more owners in need.”
Macfarlane revealed it is also encouraging its 1,000-strong team of colleagues in the UK to volunteer for a day at a Blue Cross facility without sacrificing any pay and plans to extend its support for the charity further during 2023.
