Norbord donated 11 packs of SterlingOSB to a project to build temporary accommodation for homeless people in Edinburgh.
Charity social bite is aiming to build “NestHouses” in the Scottish city, and Norbord is donating eight packs of 11mm OSB3 sheathing and three packs of 18mm OSB3 tongue-and-groove flooring to help construct them.
Social Bite describes itself as ‘a sandwich shop with a difference’. It was set up in 2012 by Edinburgh University graduates Josh Littlejohn MBE and Alice Thompson, to raise money for Scotland’s homeless. It gives away 100% of its profits to selected charities, and also works to provide employment for people and get them off the street. A quarter of Social Bite’s employees have experienced homelessness.
Social Bite has five sandwich bars/coffee shops and a restaurant in Edinburgh. Besides re-distributing profits and providing employment, the business has a following of regular donors and customers and it operates a ‘pay forward’ scheme where customers can pay in advance for a meal that can later be claimed by a homeless person.
In the company’s latest scheme, custom-built, relocatable NestHouses, each comprising two sleeping compartments with central bathroom, kitchen and dining rooms, are being built by Carbon Dynamics.
Maurice Fiztgibbon, Commercial Director of Norbord, said: “The 11 NestHouses will provide homes for 22 people on a temporary site in Leith, donated by the City of Edinburgh Council. People who are on the streets are in a trap – if they don’t have an income, they can’t afford accommodation and they can’t get a job if they have no address.
“We all know Edinburgh is a wonderful city with an ambition to eradicate homelessness in the city and throughout Scotland. The Social Bite Village has mobilised a huge number of individuals and companies who wish to contribute positively and proactively to a very worthwhile objective. Anyone associated with the Scottish construction industry should be proud to support the efforts of many dedicated organisations by providing a few building materials.”
Pictured (left to right): Matt Stevenson, Managing Director of Carbon Dynamics, Maurice Fitzgibbon, Commercial Director of Norbord Europe, Josh Littlejohn, founder of Social Bite, and Tony Hackney, Chief Executive of BSW Timber Limited.
