Oakland International is passionate about giving back to the local communities in which we operate. Having won a national award in 2004 for our social commitment and various other awards since, it is in our culture and nature to give back.
In 2017 we were awarded the prestigious Queen’s Award for Enterprise for Sustainable Development in recognition of our commitment to helping build strong communities through our support of disadvantaged young people via our children’s charity Oakland Foundation.
Below are the logos of the charities Oakland International supports, please click on each logo and read about the wonderful work that they do in our communities.
Feed The Need Coalville is an independent foodbank run by a small team of volunteers who operate every Saturday and is available to people needing help providing food for their families. Oakalnd team members volunteer their time to support this amazing initiative.
Coalville Foodbank provides three days’ nutritionally balanced emergency food and support to local people who are referred to them in crisis.
We invested in new industrial walk-in freezers and chillers for Worcesterhsire Homless Appeal’s new dedicated workshop, we provide weekly food contributions, and we provided financial and practical support which helped them secure a storage unit to expand their services to more families.
Chairman/Founder Ashlea Stone commented: “I just wanted to say thank you for the wonderful food donations this week it’s allowed us to help so many families and also share with another group, we had so many happy families this week. You all made this happen … thank you from the pantry team and those who use the pantry, your continued support is very much appreciated.”
Oakland provides regular product donations as well as financial support which helped set up a second food bank in Batchley, Redditch.
This young man is a true inspiration, helping thousands within his community.
Oakland provided a three-year sponsorship deal to Birmingham & Solihull Bees Rugby Club to help them continue to plan and develop for future generations of players.
Oakland team members volunteer their time for Leicestershire’s Marlene Reid Centre & Social Supermarket to help distribute donated and much needed food to those in need in the community. Oakland International also provided a van to enable MRC to run mobile food bank.
Food donations support over 400 customers and save good food from going to waste in landfill. MRC also offer community transport for hospital appointments, a furniture warehouse and offer free yoga classes.
An Oakland International/Oakland Foundation partnership, with Oakland’s depot in Corby donating surplus food to the Kingswood Neighbourhood Centre and Café’s foodbank which supports over 40 families weekly.
Since 2016 Oakland International has hosted space for the Redditch Foodbank and provided a dedicated onsite area for food storage, and for volunteers to sort food donations.
Every year Oakland supports Macmillan’s coffee morning with teams baking and buying cakes and coffees.
2023 saw the teams raise £645.60!
Oakland’s Bardon depot provides up to a full load of food every week and delivers it using Oakland trucks into City Harvest’s London depot. Ahead of delivery our team sends a complete breakdown of pallet contents so that they can organise volunteers and plan where food is needed most. By choosing to donate surplus food to City Harvest, Oakland has helped nourish thousands of people across London experiencing food poverty.
Over the years Oakland International has supported various school projects including a garden project providing funding, and funded Hi-Viz jackets.
Most recently we were delighted to fund a fairground carousel as part of their Christmas celebrations.
Mitchell Brooker-Smith, is a GB British Skeet Shooting Champion and Oakland International provides sponsorship support which helps towards the cost of Mitchell’s gun cartridges and competition fees throughout the season.
The Felix project, supported through Mindful Chef is a London-based food redistribution charity set up in 2016. They collect fresh, nutritious food that cannot be sold and deliver it to charities and schools to help them provide healthy meals and support the most vulnerable in our society.
Oakland fully fund warehouse rental in Moldova, which supports humanitarian aid received to be dispensed to those who are in desperate need. This warehouse will be jointly used in future as well to support Ukrainian producers to access the UK retail and foodservice markets.
As of April 2023, over 10 million meals have been delivered in the first six- months of our partnership.
Oakland Team Members Charity and Community Support
Oakland International team members support a host of charities both locally and nationally by taking part in numerous fundraising activities including dress-down days, World Cup sweepstakes, Christmas prize-draws, and by volunteering their time to help support charities such as MRC and many other community charities such as those listed above that approach Oakland asking for support.
Team led and contributed, the Oakland Lottery alone has raised more than £8,000 in less than two-years, which has been split equally between Oakland Foundation and Molly Ollys children’s charities.
The Oakland Foundation is run and lead by our team members as trustees, giving their time and resources to support the community work of the Foundation.