Delivery

Regular Route: UK → France

Distribute Aid is hoping to send a regular route for humanitarian aid shipments between the UK and France around May. We won't let pandemics, Brexit, or global supply chain disruptions stop the flow of aid to those who need it most! ♥

If you're here because you want to donate goods for people on the move in France- thank you! Groups on the ground would not be able to provide the services they do without support from donations like yours.

Hub Icon: Multiple nodes connected to a center hub.

UK Staging Hub in Coventry

Map Icon: A destination marker on a map.

Service to France, supporting 7 frontline groups

Truck Icon: A truck in motion.

Regular shipments, scaled to demand

Money Icon: A currency bill with a heart in the middle.

Fair flat-rate pricing, all-inclusive, at-cost

Reserve Your Spot!

  1. Submit Your Aid Delivery Request

    Download the Aid Delivery Request Form and fill it in.

    Email the completed form to hubs@distributeaid.org. Your local Staging Hub will receive it and follow up if there are any questions.

    Submissions close: October 25, 2022

  2. Consult Frontline Groups

    We'll check in with the frontline groups during the offer period, to confirm which offered donations they want and to prioritise deliveries that meet their biggest needs. Then we can confirm if you have a place reserved on the next truck.

    Latest confirmation date: October 28, 2022

  3. Drop Off @ Staging Hubs

    Schedule a drop-off appointment with your local Staging Hub, pay them the flat-rate Storage & Shipping charge, and deliver the boxes of aid at the agreed time.

    Staging period: November 7, 2022 - November 11, 2022

  4. Deliver The Aid

    And that's it! Take an evening off to celebrate a job well done, we got it from here. Once your aid is delivered we'll follow up with an after-shipment report, including photos and acknowledgments from the frontline groups.

    Shipment departs: November 14, 2022

Frontline Groups

Frontline Group Logo: L'Auberge des Migrants
L'Auberge des Migrants
Frontline Group Logo: Refugee Women's Center
Refugee Women's Center
Frontline Group Logo: Refugee Community Kitchen
Refugee Community Kitchen
Frontline Group Logo: Calais Food Collective
Calais Food Collective
Frontline Group Logo: Utopia 56
Utopia 56
Frontline Group Logo: Collective Aid
Collective Aid
Frontline Group Logo: Mobile Refugee Support
Mobile Refugee Support

UK Staging Hubs

The most cost efficient and Brexit / pandemic-proof way to send aid from the UK is by shipping palletised aid on articulated lorries that are loaded by a forklift. That's where our UK Staging Hubs come in! They have the necessary infrastructure and experience working with us to ensure each shipment is fully optimized, which everybody benefits from. Once it's in a Staging Hub, your aid will be palletised, stored, and loaded by a forklift onto the next truck.

Hub Logo: Pallet Aid (PA)

Coventry - South England

Both Community & Commercial Aid

pallets, loose boxes, bulk bags of tents & sleeping bags, etc

Storage & Shipping (£)

We offer a flat, per-pallet and per-box storage and shipment charge (S&S) to take the stress out of budgeting to move your aid. By using the Staging Hubs we can keep shipping costs low and consistent, and spread the cost evenly for all groups sending aid.

We've recently had to raise prices to match current economic conditions. However, we are applying for funding for upcoming shipments to help offset these. This funding will be applied evenly across all pallets on the shipment, so please do offer as much aid as you can and we'll confirm the final total before the drop-off date.

Standard Pallet Icon: Four boxes stacked evenly on a pallet.

Standard Pallet - £100

1.2m x 1.0m x 1.70m high

700kg

Half Pallet Icon: 3 boxes stacked in a pyramid on a pallet.

Half Pallet - £70

1.2m x 1.0m x 0.85m high

350kg

What if my aid doesn't fit exactly?

  • We encourage groups to work together to submit a combined offer that makes up a Standard Pallet or Half Pallet worth of aid.
  • We reserve 2 pallets worth of space on each truck for overflow, so if you have slightly more then a Standard Pallet's worth of aid that's ok! Overflow pricing is £5 per banana box (500mm x 400mm x 250mm high, holds 15kg).
  • You'll still need to book a Standard Pallet space for commercially purchased aid with smaller pallet dimensions. Unfortunately, due to the way trucks are packed a smaller pallet size doesn't actually allow us to fit more on there. You can always contact hubs@distributeaid.org to look into booking a full truck load at a custom rate.
  • We can book you multiple Standard Pallets worth of space to accommodate bulky items. Please submit the exact dimensions of the item on the offer form so we can assess how many Standard Pallets it will require, and ensure that we book a curtain-side truck to load it.

All About Pallets

How many Standard Pallet spaces do I need?

Van Icon: The Calais classic.

Van Loads

The Calais classic. Most Vans fit about 3 Standard Pallets worth of aid in the back.

Bulk Bag Icon: A large sack.

Bulk Bags

Perfect for those larger, clumsier items like tents or sleeping bags that are too awkward to box up.

  • Each Bulk Bag takes up one Half Pallet space.
  • 2 Bulk Bags count as a Standard Pallet if they can be stacked.
  • A Standard Pallet can also be made by stacking a Bulk Bag on top of 18 Banana Boxes.
Confirmed Box Icon: The proverbial banana box.

Banana Boxes

Easy to acquire, small, and sturdy boxes. Each Banana Box should hold a specific item, such as mens small pants or women's medium winter sweaters. Any consistently sized box could be used to fill a Standard or Half pallet. Banana Box sizes can vary a bit, but a good rule of thumb is:

  • Dimensions: 500mm x 400mm x 250mm high, holds 15kg
  • 18 Banana Boxes make up a Half Pallet
  • 36 Banana Boxes can fit on a Standard Pallet