On Friday October 7, FedEx Express, the largest express transportation company in the world, and a subsidiary of FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX), supported the UK children’s charity Action for Children by delivering supplies and sleeping out to help prevent youth homelessness.

As part of the FedEx Cares programme, team members delivered 20 pallets of items throughout the UK to support Action for Children. Four team members also spent a night on the streets of Birmingham, Cambridge and Newcastle to raise almost £2,000.

Action for Children tries to tackle the root causes of homelessness, keeping disadvantaged young people off the streets and enabling them to build better lives. The number of people sleeping rough in England has doubled since 2010. FedEx Express is supporting the charity to help combat this as part of its commitment to actively support the communities it serves.

Among the supplies were umbrellas, beanie hats and foil survival bags and were transported to ten locations throughout the UK.

Collecting the items from the Action for Children office in Watford, the FedEx fleet travelled more than 2,000 miles to deliver boxes in support of the biggest annual fundraising event, ‘Byte Night’.

Sleep-outs took place throughout the UK, including St John’s Churchyard in London, the Bristol Science Centre and The Principality Stadium in Wales.  FedEx team members joined around 200 volunteers across the country in spending a night on the streets.

Byte Night is the largest sponsored ‘sleep-out’ event in the UK and this year marks its 19th anniversary – during which time the national event has raised more than £8.4 million to support homeless young people in the UK.

Managing Director Operations at FedEx UK and Ireland, Jim Hawkins, commented: “Having worked with Action for Children for more than five years, it’s clear that our help and support is needed more than ever.”