With up to three million children at risk of going hungry over the school holidays, the John Lewis Partnership has unveiled a number of initiatives to help families in need this summer. Specifically, they will be:
- Working with FareShare and Waitrose farmers and suppliers to provide 4 million healthy snacks over the summer to more than 3000 charities and local organisations across the UK, many of which will be part of the government’s Holiday Activities and Food Programme.
- Making an annual donation of £200k to the Trussell Trust, which will help to enable 136 food banks in the Trussell Trust network to support thousands of families with emergency food and practical support over the summer – with 55,000 families that use food banks in the Trussell Trust network having been supported already this year.
- Inviting and encouraging customers to donate to help families online via DONR
Marija Rompani, Ethics & Sustainability Director at the John Lewis Partnership, comments: “The summer holidays should be a glorious and carefree time for young children but the sad reality is that many go hungry.
“We know many families are struggling this summer and we want to do our part. We are therefore harnessing our long-standing relationships with our farmers and suppliers to provide nourishing and healthy snacks this summer. We can’t act in isolation and are thrilled that so many food businesses are joining us in taking an active role this summer to help vulnerable families in need. If we all join together in tackling this issue, then we can help end child poverty for good.”
This new initiative follows in the footsteps of the John Lewis Partnership’s Give a Little Love “Farm to Family” initiative, which saw 5 million surplus food items diverted directly from British farms to reach families in need across the UK in a major industry first.
