As 2024 comes to a close, Gezint is thrilled to announce the opening of our new temporary warehouse. This step marks a pivotal moment in our journey to expand and enhance our services, ensuring we meet the growing needs of patients, families, and hospital staff across London. While not a state-of-the-art facility, this converted, run-down large house serves as a vital hub for our operations, tailored to meet our immediate needs. However, to truly achieve a facility that matches the scale and potential of our mission, we would require £300,000 in funding to build a purpose-designed, state-of-the-art warehouse.

A Place for Everything: The Warehouse Layout

Our temporary warehouse is carefully organized to maximize efficiency and accommodate the wide range of goods we handle daily. Here’s a glimpse of how we’ve structured our operations:

• Storage Rooms:
  • Dry Goods Room: Stacked high with racks of non-perishable items such as crisps, pretzels, nuts, spelt and gluten-free crackers, rice cakes, and a diverse selection of pot noodles—a go-to for quick, warm meals. Special provisions include snacks for children and pureed food packs for patients requiring specific diets. These pureed options, available in 12 varieties, cater to both kids and adults with dietary restrictions.
  • Cold Storage: Featuring a meaty fridge stocked with salami snack packs, alongside another fridge for fresh milk, plant-based milk, and yogurts, ensuring all dietary preferences are covered.
  • Disposable Goods Room: Dedicated to essentials like paper coffee cups, sugar sachets, tea bags, jam, bottled water, plant-based milk, disposable cutlery, and personal hygiene products.
• Packing and Distribution Hallway: Racks line the hallway with dry goods ready to be assembled into boxes for delivery to our respite rooms in hospitals. This area is a hive of activity as volunteers prepare packages to be distributed daily.

• Volunteer Chill Zone: A cozy room furnished with sofas and games, offering a space for volunteers to relax and recharge. It’s also a gathering place for orphans who come after school for group activities and one-on-one counseling sessions. Volunteers and orphans share this inviting environment, fostering a sense of community and mutual support.

The Workforce Behind the Magic

Our warehouse is staffed by three dedicated managers who take turns volunteering to oversee operations, ensuring seamless delivery and organization. From receiving fresh and dry goods to stacking shelves and coordinating deliveries, their commitment drives our success. With 24-hour access, volunteers can pick up supplies to stock respite rooms around the clock.

What We’re Delivering

Gezint’s deliveries include:

• Snacks and nutritious items for patients and their families.
• Fresh milk, plant-based milk, and yogurts.
• Individual tea and coffee sachets, complete with disposable cups and utensils.
• Personal hygiene essentials for those staying by their loved ones’ sides in hospitals.
• Special provisions for children and patients with specific dietary needs.

Expanding Our Vision: A Dedicated Packaging Room

Looking to the future, we hope to include a dedicated packaging room in our operations. This space would allow us to efficiently prepare and send off boxes of essential items to disadvantaged families, broadening our impact and building a robust outreach program. By streamlining this process, we can expand our services and provide critical support to even more individuals in need.

A Mission in Action

This temporary warehouse is not just a logistical hub but the backbone of our mission to provide comfort and care. Every item stored and distributed is a testament to the generosity of our donors and the dedication of our volunteers. Despite its limitations, this converted facility allows us to support our respite rooms across hospitals, ensuring that no one is left without access to the essentials.

Looking Ahead

As we gear up for 2025, we invite sponsors and supporters to join us in expanding our services. With your help, we can extend this life-changing initiative to even more hospitals, ensuring 24/7 access to nourishment and comfort for patients, families, and staff. To achieve our dream of a state-of-the-art facility, we need £300,000 in funding. This would allow us to create a space truly designed for the scale and ambition of our mission, ensuring Gezint can continue making a meaningful impact for years to come.

Thank you for being part of our journey. Here’s to a new year filled with hope, kindness, and continued impact!