Sainsbury’s launches £5m fund to help tackle food poverty

One of our clients, Sainsbury’s, has launched a £5m fund to help tackle food poverty, The Grocer reports.

Of the total fund, £4m will be donated to over 1,150 partners, while the remaining £1m will be allocated for stores to contribute to local charities.

The supermarket is also calling on shoppers to donate food and other essential items, along with money in-store and online, as part of its so-called Brighten a Million Christmases initiative. Sainsbury’s said it will match each donation it receives.

Inside its stores, people will be able to contribute at till points by rounding up their bill. They will also have the option of adding £1, £2, £5 or £10 to their bill if they use self-service checkouts, as well as on their online orders placed between 1 and 14 December.

Sainsbury’s says that it wants to raise around £8m for the cause. It will be working closely with its network of charities to make sure that the money raised during the two-week fundraiser reaches them for the Christmas period.

The retailer has already raised more than £3m through its programme with food redistribution charity, FareShare. 

Shop floor staff have also received the news that they will get a bonus “in time for Christmas” to say “thank you” for all of their extra work through the pandemic. The bonus will be 10% of four weeks’ worth of employees’ pay. Permanent and temporary staff received another 10% bonus back in March and April this year. 

Sainsbury’s CEO, Simon Roberts, acknowledged how this year presented unexpected challenges for many customers and colleagues. He stressed that the company is committed to doing everything in its power to help feed the nation and ensure no family goes hungry over the festive period. 

Roberts continued: “We are proud to work with our food donation partners all year round to provide vital support to the communities we serve, but they need our help now more than ever.”

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