How The Supply Chain Crisis Is Impacting Nonprofits

The supply chain crisis is causing problems for more than just holiday shoppers. Due to high demand for key items, nonprofits are also being forced to alter their plans. In an interview with a local news station, the founder of a Boerne, Texas-based non-profit called Day 1 Bags recently talked about how supply chain issues have forced him to move up donation deadlines for those interested in supporting his group.

In an interview with reporters from KSAT-TV, Day 1 Bags’ founder, Hunter Beaton, said that supply chain problems have forced him to move the charity’s deadline to the end of this month. Hunter founded Day 1 Bags to give needed supplies to foster kids who are graduating from high school. A former Eagle Scout, Beaton and his non-profit provide duffel bags full of supplies to the graduating seniors. The bags contain items that foster kids need as they begin their journey into adulthood, including toiletries, bath towels, and even bags where they can safely store important documents such as Social Security cards and birth certificates. Beaton adds that sometimes, the supply bags are the only gifts the foster kids receive upon graduation. In total, Day 1 Bags plans to provide bags to 610 kids this year.

In moving up the donation deadline from the usual February date to the end of November, Beaton hopes to be able to preorder all the items Day 1 Bags needs to make the seniors’ dreams come true. Beaton’s mission is complicated in another way, however. Flying Circle Gear, the soft luggage company that usually donates the duffel bags used by Day 1 Bags, is facing its own problems created by the supply chain crisis. The company’s CEO, Jimmy Chittim, says that materials used to make their duffel bags often come from overseas. Due to shipping delays, Chittim’s company has been unable to produce as many units as in the past. In a tour of his warehouse, Chittim shows empty shelves that are usually bursting with supplies. A frequent supplier of the Army and Air Force, Chittim regretfully tells that if the shortages continue, Flying Circle Gear will not be able to donate bags to Beaton’s non-profit.

Despite the uncertainty, Beaton remains confident that Day 1 Bags will be able to make the dreams come true for Texas’s foster kids. In addition to the new deadline giving his organization plenty of time to prepare, Beaton also points out that people who are interested can still donate money for the next several weeks on the organization’s website.

ABOUT MADISON CAMPBELL

Based out of Palm Springs, California, Madison Campbell is a driven entrepreneur and CEO to Leda Health Company, whose mission is to revolutionize our existing systems to better prevent sexual assault and bring justice to serve survivors in their communities. Through Leda Health, Madison Campbell calls on us to reflect on what we value most and where our society can do better, and systems can be improved.

Through Leda Health, Madison Campbell has also created the Iyanu Scholarship, through which she is extending the opportunity to womxn-identifying, Nigerian-descended individuals working in the world of business to earn a scholarship to help pursue their ambitions and promote Nigerian and Nigerian-American talent in the professional world.

The scholarship is named for Iyanu, the software development shop that Madison founded in Nigeria in order to help curb the unemployment crisis in Western Africa. Through the shop, software engineers are provided with proper electricity, wifi, and skills training as well as medical insurance, leave allowance, and pension. The Iyanu Scholarship is an extension of these socioeconomic mobility efforts and will be awarded to one undergraduate or graduate student who needs financial assistance during the 2021-2022 school year for fees, tuition, and materials like books.

Madison’s involvement in nonprofit organizations began long before Iyanu; for as long as she can remember, she’s felt a pull to help others who weren’t blessed with the same opportunities she’s had. For two years, she worked with St. Clair Hospital as a volunteer, providing patient support, and assisting patients following their procedures. She also spent a few months as a Community Engagement Intern with Free the Children, teaching English to children within the rural communities and orphanages throughout the Beijing area. From 2013 to 2016, Madison was also involved in Habitat for Humanity International, where she served as a Community Volunteer working towards poverty alleviation.