In their cafés all UK branches of Asda will serve up winter warmer soup, roll and unlimited tea or coffee to over 60s for just £1.
This will be offered in addition to the Kids Eat for £1 scheme which has already delivered more than half a million meals since late June.
Asda is stepping up the support for its older customers who they believe are being affected disproportionately by the cost of living crisis. The supermarket’s income tracker shows that people aged 65 to 74 have had a £163 drop in income in August compared to last year. This is a result of low growth in pensions and savings and aligns with findings from Age UK who say that 2.8 million households will live in fuel poverty this winter.
Mohsin Issa, Asda’s Co-owner, said: “We know that this winter is set to be incredibly hard for thousands of pensioners as they worry about how to keep themselves warm in the face of rising living costs and a fixed income. We’ve already been able to serve over half a million meals through our Kids Eat for £1 initiative in our cafes and we’re hoping our new offer of soup and hot drinks for over 60s will prove just as impactful for those who need it most. Meanwhile, the cost of living grant programme led by Asda’s charity The Asda Foundation will support grassroots organisations who are providing a lifeline in their communities during these tough times.”
In addition to their targeted support for pensioners, Asda’s charity the Asda Foundation is providing funding worth £500.000 to support community groups that are struggling with rising operating costs or increased demand for their vital services in the current climate.
Individual grants worth up to a maximum of £2,000 are available. Priority will be given to groups and charities that need financial help to cover increased energy costs or who want to use their facilities to create ‘warm banks’ – spaces where people can keep warm this winter if they can’t afford to always heat their homes.
The supermarket is also running a ‘Community Cuppa’ campaign in its cafes by creating space for community groups, who may otherwise struggle to meet due to rising energy costs. Spaces will be available on weekdays in November and December from 2pm to 6pm and all community group members who visit will receive unlimited free tea or coffee.
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
