Sainsbury’s and Comic Relief Team Up to Provide Over 5 Million Meals to Families in Need This Winter

Sainsbury’s and Comic Relief Team Up to Provide Over 5 Million Meals to Families in Need This Winter

(IN BRIEF) Sainsbury’s has partnered with Comic Relief to provide over five million meals to families facing food poverty this winter. Throughout December, proceeds from the sale of Sainsbury’s and Free From mince pies will be donated to Comic Relief, with over a million packs expected to be sold. Customers can further support the cause by donating directly at stores, online, or through the Nectar app. The initiative also includes donations from sales of festive sandwiches and Christmas gifts. Sainsbury’s and Comic Relief aim to alleviate food insecurity during the holiday season, with donations benefiting FareShare and other organizations that support those in need.

(PRESS RELEASE) LONDON, 28-Oct-2024 — /EuropaWire/ — In a new initiative aimed at addressing food poverty this winter, Sainsbury’s has committed to providing over five million meals to families in need through a partnership with Comic Relief. Throughout December, every penny from the sale of Sainsbury’s and Free From mince pies will be donated directly to Comic Relief. This effort is part of Sainsbury’s broader mission to make nutritious food accessible for all during the holiday season.

Customers can contribute by purchasing select festive products, making donations at store checkouts or online, or donating points through the Nectar app. Sainsbury’s anticipates the sale of over one million packs of mince pies, with proceeds going towards their ambitious meal donation target. Additionally, donation points in stores will allow customers to directly support local community groups by contributing grocery items.

Ruth Cranston, Sainsbury’s Director of Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability, emphasized the importance of this campaign, stating, “Christmas is a joyful time for many, but it can be particularly difficult for those facing food insecurity. We are proud to work alongside Comic Relief to offer support and ensure more people have access to good food this winter. By purchasing a simple festive treat like mince pies, our customers can join us in spreading a little Christmas cheer to those who need it most.”

Samir Patel, CEO of Comic Relief, highlighted the urgency of addressing food poverty during the cost-of-living crisis, saying, “With winter approaching, the pressure on families struggling to afford basic needs is immense. Sainsbury’s commitment will make a crucial difference, helping to provide essential food through our Nourish the Nation program.”

From now until December 31st, additional efforts include a 10 pence donation to Comic Relief from each sale of a festive sandwich, as well as a £200,000 contribution from the sales of Nourish the Nation Christmas gifts and decorations. Proceeds will support FareShare, a food redistribution charity, along with other organizations that provide nutritious meals to families in need while also working to reduce food waste.

This initiative follows Sainsbury’s recent donation of £2.7 million, which helped provide over one million meals to children during school holidays. With this new effort, Sainsbury’s and Comic Relief aim to extend their impact and offer relief to families struggling during the holiday season.

Notes to editors

1 Mince pies

2

• Customer donation campaign (20th November – 24th December)
• Mince pie donation (1st December – 31st December)
• Festive sandwiches donation (28th October – 31st December)
• GM range available (30th October – 24th December)

3 Festive sandwich SKUS

4 GM SKUS

About Nourish the Nation

Sainsbury’s and Comic Relief have been partners for 25 years, raising over £174 million to support people in the UK and around the world. Working closely with Comic Relief, Nourish the Nation is Sainsbury’s long-term community programme focused on tackling food poverty and ensuring communities have improved access to balanced, nutritional, and sustainable food sources now and in the future.

Since its launch, Sainsbury’s have introduced a number of Nourish the Nation initiatives to help fund the vital work of Comic Relief and its partners. Customers are also able to donate to the programme in Sainsbury’s stores and online, or on the Comic Relief website, and can select a donation of £1, £2, £5 and £10 where all monetary donations go directly to Comic Relief.

About Sainsbury’s

Offering delicious great quality food at competitive prices has been at the heart of what we do since John James and Mary Ann Sainsbury opened our first store in 1869. Today, inspiring and delighting our customers with tasty food remains our priority and our purpose is clear – we make good food joyful, accessible, and affordable for everyone, every day.

Our focus on great value food and convenient shopping, whether in-store or online is supported by our brands – Argos, Nectar, Tu Clothing, Habitat, Sainsbury’s Bank, and Smart Charge. Sainsbury’s has almost 600 supermarkets and over 800 convenience stores. Argos is a leading digital retailer and is the third most visited retail website in the UK, with over 70 percent of its sales starting online. Argos is conveniently available for customers to collect from hundreds of Sainsbury’s stores. Digital and technology enables us to adapt as customers shop differently and our profitable, fast-growing online channels offer customers quick and convenient delivery and collection capability.

About Comic Relief

Comic Relief is a UK charity that uses the power of entertainment and popular culture to work towards a vision of a just world free from poverty. We raise money to support organisations that are closest to the communities who can make change happen. We support work that will tackle the impact of poverty, injustice, conflict, and climate change in the UK and around the world.

Since launching in 1985, we have raised over £1.6 billion thanks to the huge generosity and kindness of the public and our partners. For more information on our work, visit www.comicrelief.com or follow @comicrelief on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok for the latest content and news.

Comic Relief is the operating name of Charity Projects, registered charity in England & Wales (326568) and Scotland (SC039730).

Media Contact:

email: press_office@sainsburys.co.uk

SOURCE: Sainsbury