Care Packs charity launch brings together tech and channel leaders to help families affected by poverty

The new charity kicked off with an inspiring and active event at Mimecast’s offices on 7 May

The tech industry and the channel could be doing more to help alleviate income inequality in the UK, heard attendees at this week’s launch of Care Packs – a new charity initiative launched by a partnership of technology and channel firms, including Computacenter, NTT DATA, Lenovo and Mimecast among others.

The Care Packs initiative is aimed at families in dire poverty to deliver a number of packs of baby supplies a month to new parents.

At the launch event, hosted at Mimecast’s London offices this week, attendees and Care Packs trustees worked together to create and pack 300 boxes of supplies, including nappies, baby shampoo and bath products, wipes and more, to be delivered directly to families via their local council.

The initiative aims to provide essential supplies to struggling families via coordinated relief efforts—driven by corporate support, community engagement, and a healthy dose of urgency.

The initiative was originally conceived by Jay Rohman, head of IT sourcing at Lloyds Banking Group and backed by Colin Williams, business CTO at Computacenter, who became chair and vice chair of the charity, respectively.

The governing board is rounded out by Karyn Sheridan, senior legal council at Lenovo, Farida Gibbs, CEO of Gibbs Consulting and Altaf Kazi, assistant director for partnerships at NHS Blood and Transplant.

“We’re incredibly lucky to work in this industry,” Williams said in his opening speech, spotlighting Mimecast’s hosting support.

“But sometimes you need a moment to step back and recognise how fortunate we are—and do something, even a small thing, to help others who aren’t.”

“The cost-of-living crisis isn’t just a headline,” said one of the charity’s trustees during the launch. “We’re talking about 14.5 million people in the UK living in poverty. Families making impossible decisions—between heating and eating, or going without food so their children can eat.”

Care Packs’ goal isn't to solve poverty, he stressed, but to do something. “If we can make life even a little easier for a few hundred families today, that matters,” Williams said.

The event also featured a panel on the impact of Care Packs at a local level featuring leaders from Coventry County Council and Croydon Council.

After hearing about the on-the-ground effects of increasing wealth inequality across the UK, attendees ended the day on a hopeful and energising note, packing around 300 packs in the space of an hour.

The trustees say the Care Packs team will now focus on scaling up the initiative and getting the current round of boxes out to where they’re most urgently needed.