Goods For Good was set up in 2014 by Rosalind Bluestone. At the tender age of 60 and having recently been made redundant, she started the charity from her dining room table in Borehamwood, determined to address the imbalance she saw in the world between those that have too much and those that have too little.
For the first three and a half years Roz ran the charity with only the support of volunteers and a board of Trustees. Roll forward nine years and whilst the team remains small our reach and impact has grown significantly. To date, the charity has delivered almost £50 million worth of donated goods to over 4.3 million vulnerable people in need in the UK and 26 countries overseas, including Eastern Europe, former Soviet Union, the Middle East, Africa, and the Philippines. In recognition of her outstanding service and contribution to vulnerable communities around the world, in 2023, Roz was awarded an MBE by King Charles III.
A brief history
2014 With the help and encouragement from an ex colleague, Noah Bernstein, and Dutch Charity connection Max Veenstra, who shared the same vision, she set upGoods for Good in 2014.
2020 In 2020 the charity moved its operation from Borehamwood to Watford marking a significant milestone for us. With more space, we were able to scale up the rate at which we collect unsold goods from industry and pre-loved items from the community.
2021 Due to the pandemic and BREXIT, 2021 was the most challenging year-to-date for the charity. But, with thanks to the National Lottery Community Fund and funding from Comic Relief we were able to increase our activities by almost 40%, responding to more weekly requests from UK charities supporting vulnerable people – such as emergency food banks, housing associations and asylum seekers’ drop-in centres. In the first 12months of the pandemic we supported over 1 million people by delivering £6million worth of everyday essentials.
Despite undergoing major heart surgery, Rosalind together with the small team also launched its Sport For Good initiative and collaborative initiative Prams For Good.
2022 In February 2022, in response to the Ukraine crisis , we set up a Humanitarian Aid Hub in Northampton with our corporate partners My 1st Years and our "Project Rescue" campaign was launched.
2023 In 2023 Rosalind was awarded an MBE by King Charles in recognition for her outstanding service and contribution to vulnerable communities around the world.
The COVID-19 pandemic, cost of living and energy crisis and the war in Ukraine has caused many more families to slip into poverty. Our network of charity partners has grown by 1000% as we work hard to respond to the huge increase in need over the last 2 years. We have been inundated with requests to help support those who don’t have the means or access to purchase everyday essentials such as clothing, footwear, underwear and bedding, nappies, food, hygiene goods, toiletries and medical equipment. To continue our work we need your support. If you can help us financially, donate goods, or volunteer your time or company services we'd love to hear from you.
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