Through GiveBackCanada.ca PUDO Inc adds hundreds of donation drop-off locations to The Salvation Army Thrift Store, National Recycling Operations (NRO) national network, and offers free shipping o...

TORONTO, Nov. 25, 2020 /CNW/ - PUDO Inc. ("PUDO" or "the Company") (CSE: PDO) (OTCQB: PDPTF), North America's only carrier-neutral parcel pick-up and drop-off counter Network, is pleased to announce an agreement with The Salvation Army Thrift Store, NRO to utilize the Company's GiveBackCanada.ca program. This partnership will enable Canadians to ship their unwanted clothing and footwear to The Salvation Army Thrift Store from a PUDOpoint Counters location at no cost by downloading a free shipping label and packing their donations in recycled cardboard boxes.

The Salvation Army Thrift Store, NRO is in COVID-19 recovery, after being impacted by the lockdown in the spring of this year and again recently in parts of Canada that have ordered the closure of non-essential businesses. As the weather grows colder and the holidays approach, the very community services that vulnerable Canadians — low income families, seniors, single parents, and countless others — rely on are pressured by lack of critical funding at a time when they are needed more than ever.

The Salvation Army Thrift Store offers savings on gently used clothing, textiles, and household items while supporting Salvation Army programs, services and emergency relief efforts. Beyond contributing to greener communities, donated items also provide direct assistance to those in need. $4,287,937 worth of clothing and household items were given free of cost to individuals and families living in poverty through The Salvation Army's social services voucher program last year.

"Through 40,510 voucher redemptions, vulnerable Canadians were given dignity to shop for essential items that they otherwise could not afford," says Ted Troughton, Managing Director of NRO. "We are honored to give donations the power to truly make a difference."

"What many Canadians don't want, The Salvation Army badly needs," says PUDO CEO Frank Coccia. "Through our coast-to-coast Network of PUDOpoint Counters, and our in-place reverse logistics system, we are uniquely able to help re-store donations of unwanted clothing and footwear to pre-COVID levels by offering no-cost shipping of up to 12 large cardboard boxes per household, to donors." 

The Salvation Army Thrift Store, NRO is one of Canada's largest national clothing recyclers, and through its network of 100 stores and 11 distribution and recycling centres, they provide consistent and stop-gap assistance to almost two million Canadians annually.  The organization is supported by more than 14 million guests (shoppers) and donors annually, but has suffered due to COVID-19.

"We have been working with NRO since the start of the year, to understand how best to leverage our Canadian Network of over 700 PUDOpoint Counters to help the iconic Canadian charity initiate new clothing and footwear donation streams that exist outside of their bricks and mortar locations," says Coccia.

Effective December 1, 2020, through GiveBackCanada.ca, participating PUDOpoint Counters will add several hundred new donation drop-ship locations to NRO's current network, in population centres where no Salvation Army Thrift Store exists, and for Canadians who live more than 10 kilometres from an existing store. PUDO technology will enable on-demand scale and extension of the Network, as lockdowns or other restrictions restrict drop-off at thrift stores or donor welcome centres. In all cases, shipping to a Salvation Army Thrift Store through the PUDO Network is free to donors.

For millions of home-bound Canadians, COVID-19 related restrictions represent opportunities to clean out closets and downsize wardrobes, and to re-purpose cardboard e-commerce shipping boxes. The GiveBackCanada.ca program requires donors to ship in cardboard boxes exclusively, as 100% of cardboard is recycled by NRO.  Pre-COVID in North America alone, e-commerce cardboard packing material consume the equivalent of one billion trees annually. Sadly, much of that cardboard ends up in landfills.

Due to COVID-19, Canadian Charities that operate storefront thrift shops to fund critical community outreach programs were closed for several months during the spring, as were their donation drop-off stations. Closures were especially difficult for our most vulnerable Canadians who rely on charitable services and/or thrift store access to help make ends meet.  This winter flu season will bring more donation supply chain interruptions, and may bring more closures.

By piggybacking on PUDO's existing returns logistics Network the Company consolidates donations at the community level, and ships sealed boxes of gently used clothing and footwear from major Canadian cities, to regional warehouses for sorting and re-distribution to thrift stores, at absolutely no cost to Canadians. There are no restrictions on box weight but for operator safety and ease of handling, box size cannot exceed 2' x 2' x 2' in size, or 8 cubic feet per unit.

Participation in the GiveBackCanada.ca program is easy.

• Visit GiveBackCanada.ca to find a participating PUDOpoint Counters location nearby.
• Fill empty shipping boxes from Amazon and other retailers, or any small to medium size cardboard box, with gently used clothing and footwear — see GBC site for a list of needed items.
• Download and print a FREE GiveBack Canada shipping label, and drop the sealed box or boxes to a participating PUDOpoint Counters location.

About GiveBack Canada

GiveBack Canada (GBC) is a COVID-19 pandemic related supply chain crisis-response initiative of PUDO Inc - North America's only carrier-neutral parcel pick-up and drop-off Counter Network.  The GBC program utilizes almost 500 of its PUDOpoint Counters located in major centres, in all provinces across Canada, plus the Company's established return logistics Network, to facilitate the coast-to-coast undertaking.  GBC facilitates the collection, consolidation, and distribution of badly needed, gently used and new clothing and footwear to participating Canadian charities who rely on thrift store donations and revenues to fund critical community outreach programs, but whose donation centres and store fronts have been impacted by COVID-19.

Canadians are invited to visit www.givebackcanada.ca to find a PUDOpoint Counters location near them, then fill one or more cardboard boxes with merchandise (see website for list of needed items), download and print a FREE shipping label, and then drop the sealed box to their nearest PUDOpoint Counters location.  By piggybacking on the Company's existing Network, donation boxes will be consolidated at the community level then shipped to regional warehouses for sorting and re-distribution to thrift stores, at absolutely no cost to Canadians.

If Canadians cannot find a participating PUDOpoint Counters location near them, the Company will endeavour to enroll another of its locations in the GBC program.  As PUDO responds to new requests for critical supplies it will on-board and announce new partners.

Follow GiveBack Canada on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

About PUDO Inc.

PUDO Inc. is North America's only carrier-neutral parcel pick-up and drop-off counter Network, conceived to resolve the last-mile parcel-traffic-control gridlock that challenges North America's$827B retail e-commerce sector, and eliminate over $6B in door-dropped parcel theft.

PUDO's team of logistics and parcel traffic management experts have created a plug-and-play, pay-as-you-go platform and Network of parcel pick-up and drop-off storefront counters known as PUDOpoint Counters, strategically located very near to where people live, work and play.

The PUDO model reduces or eliminates crippling last-mile related expenses for online retailers, marketplaces and carrier/delivery partners, with fulfillment and distribution solutions that include parcel storage and consolidation for click-and-collect deliveries, online returns, and the nearly 35% of e-commerce parcels that are undeliverable on first attempt.

Membership in the PUDOpoint Counters Network program offers consumers 'parcel receipt certainty,' early/late/weekend pick-up and return convenience, 100% elimination of door-drop parcel theft, and a mobile home-away-from-home address Network that goes wherever they do.

The PUDOpoint Counters Network provides all carriers, retailers, and consumers with badly needed cost controls, choice, and convenience.

To signup for PUDO News Feed please subscribe at https://www.pudopoint.com/en/news.

For more information, please visit  www.pudopoint.com 

About The Salvation Army Thrift Store

The Salvation Army Thrift Store, National Recycling Operations operates over 100 stores across Canada. NRO's role, within the context of The Salvation Army, is both to generate funds to help The Salvation Army achieve its mission, and make a positive impact in our communities by offering savings on gently used clothing and household items and contributing to environmental sustainability through reuse and recycling. As part of a national charitable organization, The Salvation Army Thrift Store relies upon the generous donations of Guests to help support those in need.

For further information:
May Strutt, National Communications and Engagement Specialist, The Salvation Army Thrift Store
Email: media@tstores.ca
Office: 905.825.9208 ext. 200

Information in this press release that is not current or historical factual information may constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of securities laws, such as statements regarding estimated revenues from new contracts, increased parcel volume, activation and implementation of PUDO's technology and possible future expansions of PUDO's operations. This information is based on current expectations and assumptions of management, including assumptions concerning PUDO's ability to integrate its new customers into its network and successfully execute on its new and existing contracts. The use of any of the words "anticipate", "believe", "expect", "plan", "intend", "can", "will", "should", and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Since forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Risks, uncertainties, and other factors involved with forward-looking information could cause actual events, results, performance, prospects, and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Although the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which the forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements because the Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking information include, without limitation, uncertainties with respect to service implementation, the economic results of the relationship on the operations of the Company, changes in general economic, market, or business conditions, and those risks set out in the Company's public documents filed on SEDAR. This press release, in particular the information in respect of estimated revenues, may contain future-oriented financial information or financial outlook within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Such future-oriented financial information or financial outlook has been prepared for the purpose of providing information about management's reasonable expectations as to the anticipated results of its proposed business activities. Readers are cautioned that reliance on such information may not be appropriate for other purposes.

The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date hereof and the Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by law.

SOURCE PUDO Inc.