Nestlé spends £1m to help 8,000 families hit by ‘holiday hunger’

The company said it will help 8,000 families, who might otherwise go hungry during the school summer holidays, with a £1M investment to work with social enterprises Community Shop and FoodCloud. 

The company has had a busy few months with the coronavirus pandemic. 

In April, it moved to reassure staff after a worker at its chocolate factory​ in Halifax tested positive for COVID-19.

It revealed it was working with two trade unions, GMB and Unite, on the issues around employee safety, working conditions and maintaining supply.

Nestlé works with trade unions to protect employees and maintain food supply​ And it has pumped more than £9m into fighting ​COVID-19.

Deprivation​

Nestle said it was working with Community Shop, which works in areas experiencing some of the highest levels of deprivation in the UK. The investment to provide fresh, nutritious meals for vulnerable children and their families and will also support Community Shop’s wider services ranging from debt advice, training and personal development. 

There is also a summer programme of events, which aims to bring together families to celebrate the power of food, with the sharing of recipes and cooking demonstrations, amongst many other activities such as virtual exercise classes. 

In Ireland, Nestlé said it would work with FoodCloud, a social enterprise that works with charity partners to redistribute surplus food to families in need. 

FoodCloud, it said, had already seen an exponential rise in the demand for its services following the COVID-19 lockdown. 

Stefano Agostini, CEO of Nestlé UK & Ireland said: “Access to food is an urgent problem made worse by this global pandemic. We know that many people are struggling to feed themselves, their children and even their pets, which leads to some impossible choices for a household.​

Holiday hunger​

“As schools begin their summer break today, millions of children are at risk of holiday hunger. On behalf of our 8,000 employees in the UK and Ireland, we will be helping 8,000 low-income families to access the food and services they need this summer.”​

Agostini said the business would also look at further initiatives over the coming months. These would include increasing its food bank donations and encouraging staff to use their annual volunteer days to support COVID-19 recovery efforts in their local communities. 

John Marren, founder and chairman of Community Shop said: “The funding comes at a critical time, with many families facing increased hardship due to COVID-19, and at the onset of the school holidays, where many families struggle to access food and wider support. “ ​

A Food Foundation survey conducted by YouGov indicated 3.2m people in UK households with children under 18 had suffered from food insecurity due to issues including loss of income or isolation since lockdown began.