Asda and meat brands to help customers donate thousands of meals to FareShare
Howard Lake | 9 February 2020 | News
Food redistribution charity FareShare is likely to receive over one million donated food products through a ‘You Buy One We Give One’ campaign by Asda in partnership with Richmond Sausages, Rustlers Burgers and ABP, one of Asda’s own label meat suppliers.
When Asda customers purchase participating Richmond Sausages, the Rustlers All Day Breakfast Sausage Muffin and Asda’s Extra Special Italian Meatballs, another similar product will be donated on their behalf to Fareshare.
FareShare will redistribute the food to charities and community groups including food banks, homeless shelters and school breakfast clubs. The charity works with 11,000 charities and community groups which turn the food into hot, nutritious meals for vulnerable people who might not otherwise eat.
4.7 million people in the UK live in severely food insecure homes. This means that their food intake is greatly reduced and children regularly experience physical sensations of hunger.
Why meat?
The buy one give one (BOGO) campaign follows a successful trial with Warburtons last year. The nationwide campaign is focused on meat because it is “always in high demand in the frontline charities FareShare supplies”.
Buy one give one products in Asda’s Fight Hunger campaign with Fareshare
Lindsay Boswell, Chief Executive of FareShare, said: “Cooks and chefs at the charities we support often tell us how valuable meat is for the meals they make – not just for its nutritional value but also because of the savings charities make by not having to buy it in the shops.”
Customers are still encouraged to donate other long-life store cupboard products at permanent food bank collection points in Asda’s stores. These donations will go to local foodbanks.
Stephi Brett-Lee, Asda’s Senior Director for Community said; “Our customers are already incredibly generous in the amount they donate through our in-store food bank donation points, but we wanted to look at ways we can make the donation process easier and increase the volumes donated. By working together with Richmond Sausages, Rustlers Burgers, ABP and FareShare, we can get even more food to those in need in our communities.”
The promotion is now running in-store and online and runs for six weeks in 405 stores.
“Less risk of fuel poverty”
St Francis Pop Up Shop, a community food shop in Chantry in Ipswich, is among the charities receiving Warburtons products through the original trial. Reverend Robert Hinsley, who oversees the project, said: “Chantry is one of the most deprived parts of Ipswich with high levels of poverty. Providing access to surplus food at a very low cost gives our customers the opportunity to choose food items and removes the stigma of using food banks.
“Providing food such as Warburtons bread can make a real difference – it can mean a family or individual can have a meal where they would otherwise be unable to do so, and can put them less at risk of fuel poverty as they can afford to heat their home or wash their clothes.
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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.