Lidl will donate £100,000 to help feed vulnerable groups in the UK, such as the elderly and families who need help during school closures
Three million children are at risk of going hungry while they are out of school – including those who are no longer eligible for free school meals
This announcement is an extension of Lidl’s ‘Feed it Back’ scheme which launched in 2017 in partnership with Neighbourly and has so far donated over 5m meals to community projects
Lidl has today announced it will help put food on the table of those most affected by Covid-19, such as the elderly and families who need help during the newly announced school closures, as the retailer looks to extend its ‘Feed it Back’ scheme.
The supermarket will donate £100,000 to its partnership with Neighbourly as part of the Covid-19 Emergency Community Fund. This follows the government’s announcement that schools will close from Friday 20th March 2020, affecting millions of families across the country.
According to government statistics three million children are at risk of going hungry while they are out of school; 1 million children who receive free school meals during term time, and another two million children who are ineligible for free school meals but are growing up in households in in-work poverty.
So far, the supermarket has donated the equivalent of over five million meals to its partner charities.
Christian Härtnagel, CEO at Lidl GB commented: “We are living in unprecedented times, and it’s essential that we look after those who need it most – that’s why our ‘Feed it Back’ scheme with Neighbourly is more important than ever. Through our store connections, and through this additional donation, we are able to directly support groups who are out in our communities doing an exceptional job of looking after the most vulnerable.”
Steve Butterworth, CEO at Neighbourly, said: “Now more than ever, communities need to come together and support each other. That’s why we’ve created a new Covid-19 Community Support Fund, to help our business partners channel funds into helping the most vulnerable groups, including elderly people and families that will need extra support over the coming months”.
Any community projects that are interested in partnering with a Lidl store for ongoing food surplus donation can visit www.neighbourly.com/FeedItBack or email lidl@neighbourly.com
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