3 minute read
Feature
What’s going on?
Trevor Caffull gives an update on how the Salvation Army Trading Company Ltd (SATCoL) supports the mission of the UKI Territory
IN recent years we have all become used to a pace of life that is faster than ever before. Even during these days of pandemic there is a lot going on. Quite apart from the everyday business activities of SATCoL – running shops, collecting and selling or recycling donated clothing, selling sheet music, recordings and books, and selling Salvation Army uniforms – there is much activity afoot that helps the Army deliver its mission but which passes, all too easily, under the radar.
Even I, who should know what’s going on, was somewhat taken aback a few weeks ago when I was sent a summary of our PR and Communications activity. All these things happened in the few weeks before Christmas. They show how we helped deliver or advertise community and environmental benefit on a significant scale.
Our newest donation centre, where we will share the site with the local corps, opened in Chesterfield on 10 December. This is a great example of integrated mission.
Our first published Annual Impact Report outlined the environmental benefits of rescuing 47,000 tonnes of clothing from waste streams, using the independent and industry-recognised Sustainable Clothing Action Plan calculator to measure our environmental footprint. Protection of our God-given environment is a key part of Salvation Army mission.
We participated in Asda’s new ‘drop and shop’ initiative. They trialled a sustainability superstore near Leeds, and some of our Yorkshire-based colleagues ran a ‘donation station’ in the entrance.
When changes were made to the Ireland Division’s Christmas toy appeal due to Covid restrictions, SATCoL stepped in to support them by placing toy collection banks at a number of Tesco sites. This allowed the public to give toys and ensured that children and families continued to be supported at Christmas.
In previous years we have helped with The Entertainer’s Christmas Toy Appeal by taking receipt of new toys donated by stores and delivering them to divisions to distribute to needy families in their communities. This time, as The Entertainer’s shops were closed, customers donated online and we received all the toys – those purchased by customers as well as those matched by The Entertainer.
SATCoL was able to support the production of the One Stop store’s new food banks by funding them from textiles collections. Food went directly to corps for onward distribution to needy families.
The Fulfilment by Amazon programme was part of our ongoing work in rescuing Amazon returns and end-of-line ranges from the waste stream and distributing them through our shops.
Our World of Sound team created a Christmas carolling resource – available on two discs or as a download – for corps that did not have a band able to play but still wanted a high street presence. The team also produced resources for online worship meetings, which included congregational singing tracks with band, singing and word sheets, as well as bespoke materials for special occasions as requested by THQ’s Resource Hub.
This is a breathtaking array of activity, all of which needs support from many colleagues, who are always so flexible and willing to go the extra mile to contribute their time and expertise, often at short notice. It demonstrates just how much SATCoL is contributing to Salvation Army life and mission. That’s all in addition to the regular work that most of our staff members are involved in, which raises much needed funds for the territory.
It’s easy to ask ourselves ‘What’s going on?’, sometimes in desperation. Well, there’s plenty going on at SATCoL, and it makes me immensely proud to see the ‘mission reach’ that is achieved, helping to sustain the vital work of The Salvation Army.
