Aldi is embracing the season of goodwill once again this year, and is calling on charities and community groups across Edinburgh and the Lothians to register so that they can collect food donations this Christmas Eve.
Following the launch earlier this year of the successful partnership with Neighbourly, a community engagement platform that links businesses to key charitable organisations, 95% of Aldi stores are now donating surplus food up to five days a week, all year round.
Christmas provides an opportunity for even more charities to benefit from the initiative, and are therefore calling on all charities and community groups across Edinburgh and the Lothians to get in touch for a Christmas Eve donation.
As part of the Christmas initiative, charities and community groups will be paired with local Aldi stores and can collect fresh food products that are near the end of their shelf life such as fruit, vegetables, fresh meat, fish and bread after the store closes at 6pm on Christmas Eve.
Last Christmas, Aldi donated just under half a million meals to charities across the UK, and is hoping to increase this for Christmas 2019, spreading Christmas cheer to even more families.
Fritz Walleczek, Managing Director of Corporate Responsibility at Aldi UK, said: “Our Christmas food donation scheme is something we’re really passionate about, and we’re working with Neighbourly this year to pair as many stores up as possible.
“Last year we were able to reach thousands of people across the UK, and some charities were even able to prepare fresh meals that fed families well into the New Year. This is our third year of Christmas food donations and we’re hoping this year will be just as successful, and we look forward to working with local charities and food banks from Edinburgh and the Lothians in the future.”
This year marks the 25th anniversary of Aldi opening its first store in Scotland and the 10th anniversary of the creation of its dedicated Scottish Buying Department.
The supermarket was recently crowned Scottish Sourcing Business of the Year at the Scotland Food & Drink Excellence Awards, recognised for its strong relationships with over 90 local suppliers and commitment to increasing its range of Scottish products from 400 to over 450 by the end of 2020.
Charitable groups interested in working with Aldi this Christmas should contact Neighbourly at aldichristmas@Neighbourly.com before Monday 11th November 2019.
All groups that apply must:
- Have a level 2 hygiene certificate gained in the last two years
- Be a registered charity, CIC or community group
- Be able to collect, transport and store chilled food products
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