Aldi stores are building on the supermarket’s successful festive food donations programme this year by donating meals on New Year’s Eve as well.
For the last few years, the supermarket has donated unsold fresh and chilled food to charitable causes after stores close on Christmas Eve.
For the first time, stores in County Durham will also be inviting charity partners to collect unsold food on New Year’s Eve, when Aldi expects to donate a further 200,000 meals throughout the UK.
With the help of Neighbourly, a community giving platform that links businesses to charitable organisations, Aldi is also launching a Community Cupboard initiative, whereby it will prioritise donations to local community groups focused on feeding children over the forthcoming Christmas school holiday – and will do so again during the February half-term and Easter breaks.
Aldi expects its extended programme will lead to a record number of meals being donated over the festive season.
Aldi is committed to helping to tackle food poverty within the UK. Thanks to its partnership with Neighbourly, all of Aldi’s 906 UK stores now donate surplus food to charity every day of the year.
Luke Peech, managing director of Corporate Responsibility at Aldi UK, said: “Access to fresh, affordable food should be a right, not a privilege, which is why our stores in Durham are doing what they can to help those in need.
“Tackling food poverty is an issue that the country and our store colleagues are really behind, so it’s great to be extending our programme – particularly over the festive period and upcoming school holidays.”
Steve Butterworth, from Neighbourly, added: “Aldi already donates more than 650,000 meals a month across the UK but is stepping this up over Christmas and New Year.
“The festive season is usually busy for the region’s charities and food banks, but this year even more so, so the donations will definitely be welcomed.”
To further help out this festive period, Aldi is also pledging £1 to the Neighbourly Foundation for every one of its fresh whole turkeys and fresh turkey crowns purchased in the run-up to the big day. It expects to raise more than £400,000 in total to help those in need.
