Trussell Trust sells empty food cans to raise funds via delis
Howard Lake | 7 November 2014 | News
Food poverty charity the Trussell Trust is selling empty food cans at London delicatessens to raise funds to help it open more foodbanks.
Shoppers can ‘buy’ an empty ‘Trussell Can’ at delis and food markets around the capital and online. When taking it to the counter or online checkout, shoppers make a £3 donation, which is passed on in full by the participating retailer. The Trussell Can is then put back on the shelves to allow someone else to ‘buy’ it.
The sustainable fundraising campaign was devised by the Trust’s agency Stack, and is an effort to tap into foodie culture and to boost the number of regular donors to the charity.
It follows in a long line of ‘virtual gifts’ to charity.
[youtube height=”450″ width=”800″]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nah7vaGH9c0[/youtube]
Mark Ward, Head of Fundraising, The Trussell Trust said:
“People enjoy the immediacy of donating food to our foodbanks. It makes sense that when families need food, you give food. But many people don’t realise that we also need financial donations to help us provide foodbank services, both food and access to advisory services, within reach of everyone in the UK. With the Trussell cans we want to replicate the direct-ness of donating food and turn it into the money we so desperately need.”
Renata Giacobazzi, partner, Giacobazzi’s Delicatessen in Hampstead, welcomed the initiative, saying:
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“This is a brilliant initiative that will make it easier for our customers to help others in need. I think the physical act of picking up and “buying” a can really brings home what you are contributing to and how something as small as buying can make a big difference.”
Monthly giving online – in the can
Trussell Cans are available online where people can regularly donate Trussell Cans every month, which translate into regular monetary donations.
The charity’s goal is for every town in the UK to have a foodbank. In 2013, foodbanks fed 913,138 people nationwide and, of those helped, 330,205 were children.
Liz Wilson, CEO, Stack said:
“Experience shows that timeliness and relevance are two of the most important factors in getting people to respond emotionally and practically to communication like this. So we’ve chosen to remind people about families going hungry when they are in a really foodie environment that’s all about pleasure and indulgence for their own family.”
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.