Tag: Emergency Winter Foodbank Fund

Aldi hits milestone of 30 million meals donated – with 137,000 in Edinburgh

Aldi has officially donated 30 million meals to good causes since launching its food donations initiative in 2019, with 137,938 meals being donated to local communities in Edinburgh. 

In partnership with community giving platform Neighbourly, all of the supermarket’s stores in Edinburgh are partnered with foodbanks, charities and community groups, who receive surplus food year-round.   

As a result of the successful partnership, more than 4,000 good causes across the country have now benefitted from the scheme, including soup kitchens and children’s breakfast clubs.  

The milestone follows Aldi’s donation of £250,000 to Neighbourly to launch its Emergency Winter Foodbank Fund to further support increased demand during the cold months. 

Liz Fox, Corporate Responsibility Director at Aldi UK, said: “Donating 137,938 meals in Edinburgh through our partnership with Neighbourly is an amazing achievement, with the initiative now more vital than ever for local community groups and charities who face soaring demand.  

“We’re committed to doing all that we can to support people in the communities where we trade, and through our partnership with Neighbourly we have helped to make food more accessible for those in Edinburgh.” 

Steve Butterworth, CEO of Neighbourly, added: “We’ve worked with Aldi for several years to help them further their support for those in need.

“The cost-of-living crisis is impacting communities in Edinburgh and we’ve seen the demand on foodbanks and local causes increase drastically since our partnership began. 

“The support of the public and businesses like Aldi makes a huge difference. We know the donations have helped thousands of charities, community groups and families in need.” 

Aldi has also recently extended its partnership with Company Shop Group to help excess stock from its network of Regional Distribution Centres be redistributed to community stores across the UK.  

Charities and community groups interested in working with Aldi should contact Neighbourly at aldi@neighbourly.com. 

Aldi announces emergency foodbank fund to support charities in Edinburgh and the Lothians this Christmas

Aldi is supporting local charities, foodbanks, and community groups in Edinburgh and the Lothians through its Emergency Winter Foodbank Fund this Christmas.  

The supermarket’s Emergency Winter Foodbank Fund will see it donate £250,000 to help organisations as they prepare to face heightened demand on their services.  

The fund builds on Aldi’s successful partnership with community engagement platform Neighbourly which enables all of Aldi’s 980 UK stores to donate surplus food seven days a week, all year round.  

Aldi will also be introducing new signage in stores this Christmas to help highlight to customers the most in-demand items at foodbanks, as selected by the organisations themselves.  

From early December, shoppers looking to donate to foodbanks should look out for the logo on shelves by certain items, such as baked beans, teabags and toiletries, which can then be dropped at the food donation points located by Aldi’s checkouts.  

Liz Fox, Corporate Responsibility Director at Aldi UK, said: “We know that Christmas is already a particularly challenging time for many, but this year is understandably going to be even tougher for a lot of households.  

“That’s why we’re more committed than ever to doing what we can to give back. We want to make food accessible for all and hope both our additional funding and donation drive will help to make a real difference in Edinburgh and the Lothians.”  

Steve Butterworth, CEO of Neighbourly, added: “The cost-of-living is impacting communities up and down the country and the charities we support are expecting to see demand increase even further over the coming months.  

“Without the support of the public and businesses like Aldi we’d be unable to help those in need. Within our network there are many charities and community groups that will be able to put this funding to good use, to support families that are struggling.” 

Aldi’s latest commitment follows a recent survey of Neighbourly charities which revealed that 72% will need more food items to help with increased demand this Christmas.  

The items that were revealed to be most in-demand, and will be promoted in store to help drive donations this Christmas, included cereal, rice and pasta, tinned food and toiletries.  

Charities and community groups interested in working with Aldi should contact Neighbourly at aldi@neighbourly.com.