Sainsbury’s is one of the many UK supermarket chains providing transformative assists during this festive season to those in need. But its latest endeavor – a campaign that will see 13.7 million people receive £3 million in food gifts – is certainly one of the most ambitious and generous.
Sainsbury’s Nourish the Nation programme, in partnership with Comic Relief, launched last week and will run up to two days before Christmas, helping to “tackle food insecurity and ensure communities have access to balanced, nutritional, and sustainable food sources now and in the future.”
Part of the initiative includes a £1.5 million donation from the retail chain to key food distribution networks and charities. FareShare will see £500,000, which will help bring two million meals to those who cannot afford food. With inflation further tightening budgets, struggling individuals and families need it more than ever.
“With more challenging months ahead, support for those facing food poverty has never been more critical,” said Ruth Cranston, Director of Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability at Sainsbury’s. “We know how difficult the rising cost of living is for so many communities across the country. We hope we can go some way in providing relief to vulnerable communities up and down the country over the coming months and beyond.”
Lindsay Boswell, CEO at FareShare, expressed her gratitude for the retailer’s kindness and their work in stamping out hunger.
“We’re incredibly grateful for the generous support from Sainsbury’s through Comic Relief’s Cost of Living Appeal,” she said. “Their donation will help us get more good-to-eat surplus food to people across the UK most impacted by the cost of living crisis. At a time when demand for our food has skyrocketed, this funding will make a huge difference to the people we support experiencing food poverty.”
In conjunction with the effort, Sainsbury’s is asking its shoppers to help too and match donations up to £1.5 million. They say a “£1 donation could help buy fruit and a healthy snack for a child, and £5 could help feed a child for a day at a community hub during school holidays.” Sainsbury’s is also providing food collection areas as well as allowing customers to donate Nectar points to those in need.
The supermarket chain has raised a remarkable £153 million with Comic Relief over more than two decades, impacting 1.6 million people in the UK alone. “We are grateful to be working with Sainsburys on this much-needed new programme to get help to people struggling the most” said Samir Patel, CEO of Comic Relief. “Families are fearful of what winter may mean for them as they are already being forced into making impossible decisions. It’s never been so urgent to tackle food poverty.”
