Aldi is to donate up to 250,000 meals to food banks over the Easter period.
Around 105 tonnes of food will be donated throughout the UK, with more than 187,000 meals expected to be donated to causes focused on supporting families and children, the discount grocer revealed.
The news comes as according to a survey commissioned by community giving platform Neighbourly, almost all food banks (99%) have seen a surge in demand since the start of the year.
Neighbourly recently revealed in a poll that 700 food banks found that 33% using these services in recent months had been new to the food banks and never in this position before.
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As a result, food banks reported an average rise in demand of around 31% for their services so far this year.
Some 89% of people surveyed said they have capacity to take more donations of food with the Easter school holidays approaching.
“The school holidays can be a particularly busy time for the local charities and organisations we support, but, especially in the current climate, it is likely these organisations will soon see greater demand than ever before,” Aldi UK corporate responsibility director Liz Fox said.
“We’re proud to support good causes across the country, helping them to provide meals to those in need all year round. Customers can also donate in store if they wish, with donation points located by the packing benches in all our stores.”
Steve Butterworth, from Neighbourly, added: “The findings of our latest survey highlight that the cost-of-living crisis is clearly deepening, with families and households up and down the country really starting to feel the pinch and turning to charities and local causes for support as a result.
“During what is a hard time for everyone, anything people can do to give back in the coming weeks will make all the difference.”
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