Macphie has donated thousands of bottles of hand sanitiser to local community groups and charities as the UK’s lockdown measures begin to ease.
Over 30 charities, public services, schools and sport clubs have benefitted from Macphie’s donations including Covid vaccination centres, FareShare and the Royal National Lifeboat Institute.
The family-owned food business temporarily pivoted its production processes in April last year to produce much-needed hand sanitiser. It was commended by First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon for answering the call to produce the vital supplies for key workers as the UK faced critical shortages at the start of the pandemic.
Working with local distilleries, Macphie had been bottling hand sanitiser from its facilities in Glenbervie, Aberdeenshire and contributed around 250,000 bottles to the supply chain.
Keeping communities safe
This month, as hospitality and non-essential shops are permitted to reopen in Scotland, Macphie has reached out to its local community to offer up supplies of hand sanitiser.
Chairman Alastair Macphie said: “The last year has been incredibly challenging – particularly on charities and community groups who have done all they can to continue providing their vital services throughout the pandemic.
“As lockdown measures ease once more, we appreciate that keeping people safe comes at a cost which is why we’ve been working with our community partners to provide a supply of hand sanitiser.”
Julia Morton is director of a local community larder which was set up last year during the pandemic to address rising levels of food poverty: “We are incredibly grateful for the donation of over 500 bottles of hand sanitiser provided by Macphie,” said Julia.
“Not only has this given us ample supply to keep our volunteers safe but we’re able to offer the bottles out to those who use our community larder. Hand sanitiser is a luxury item not everyone can afford so Macphie’s donations will go a long way to keep our community safe.”