Waitrose parent company, the John Lewis Partnership, is donating £100,000 to FareShare to ensure thousands of people in need across the UK receive nutritional meals.
The John Lewis Partnership also looks to support children who may be missing out on free school meals during the summer holidays.
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The upmarket retailer will be connecting FareShare with Waitrose suppliers, including Primafruit, Produce World and Dovecote to get healthy food direct from farms to families in need.
The John Lewis Partnership social impact and health lead, Lindsey Crompton, said: “Everyone has the right to good, nutritious food, the need for which extends beyond school term time.
“Right now many people are struggling to feed themselves and their families, so we want to help ease the pressure for those who risk going hungry this summer by working in partnership with FareShare and some of our key suppliers.”
During 2022 to 2023, FareShare redistributed the equivalent of nearly 128 million meals.
FareShare commercial manager, Claire Kerrin, added: “The demand for FareShare food has skyrocketed as a result of the cost-of-living crisis, and will continue to rise throughout the summer holidays when more families rely on these vital local services to feed themselves and their loved ones.
“We’re pleased to be working with Waitrose farms and suppliers, which offers FareShare a fantastic opportunity to distribute fresh food to those who need it, at a time when millions of people are going hungry across the UK.”
This comes as the Food Foundation’s 2023 Broken Plate report found that the most deprived fifth of the UK population would need to spend 50% of their disposable income on food to meet the cost of the government-recommended healthy diet.
