Around Noon teams up with Mary’s Meals
Food-to-go manufacturer Around Noon is donating 15p from each product sold over the Christmas period to help provide school meals to children living in poverty.
The Christmas fundraising campaign was set up in aid of the company’s charity partner Mary’s Meals and is expected to raise enough for the equivalent of 100,000 school meals.
Around Noon’s festive range launched in November and includes seasonal staples such as the ‘Turkey Feast, Brie & Cranberry’ and ‘Vegan Festive Feast’ sandwiches, as well as a ‘Triple Cheese & Fig Panini’ and ‘Pigs Under Blankets Brioche’.
The fundraising campaign runs until 4 January, with eligible products available across the UK via Around Noon customers.
Founded in 2002, Mary’s Meals feeds more than 2.4m children every school day across 16 countries.
Last year Around Noon raised more than £10,000 for Mary’s Meals which was matched by the charity’s Double The Love Campaign, resulting in the charity receiving £20,000.
Gareth Chambers, CEO of Around Noon said: “We have worked with Mary’s Meals for several years now and in that time the generosity of our colleagues, friends and family, and the wider community has been really moving.
“They have donated their time, their money, and have always brought boundless enthusiasm to every fundraiser. This year, over the holiday period, we’re very excited to take this partnership national to raise vital funds that offer a lifeline for the hungry and support children into education.”
Tesco customers donate 1.9m meals
Tesco customers have donated 1.9m meals as part of the retailer’s Winter Food Collection programme.
The long-life food items were donated at the collection between 25 and 30 November in every Tesco stores across the UK, and were passed onto charities FareShare and Trussell in the run up to Christmas.
Donations to Trussell help food banks to provide emergency food parcels to people who cannot afford the essentials, while donations to FareShare support thousands of frontline local charities in communities across the country.
Tesco has also provided £500,000 to FareShare and Trussell, while it donates unsold food to FareShare throughout the year as part of its Community Food Connection scheme.
Additionally, the pre-Christmas Winter Food Collection saw more than £340,000 donated to the charities by customers rounding up their bills at the till and donating through a link from Tesco’s online groceries website.
“I just want to say a huge thank you to every single person who donated items at this year’s Winter Food Collection,” said Tesco CEO Ken Murphy.
“Their generosity is always so amazing and really helps to make a huge impact in communities across the UK supported by Trussell and FareShare.”
Network Rail partners with Olio
Network Rail and food travel experts SSP have teamed up with food sharing app Olio through its Food Waste Heroes Programme.
A total of 34 rail stations across Britain, including 17 Network Rail managed stations, are now participating in the scheme that ensures that good-to-eat surplus food that would otherwise go to waste is made available to people in the local community for free.
It is estimated that the partnership could feed nearly 11,000 households annually, with 150 tonnes of food donated each year.
It follows a 12-week trial at Network Rail’s London Waterloo station from April to June this year that saw retailers contribute 3,112 meals from 4,300 items that benefited 127 households. The initiative is now being rolled out across other retail brands.
Hamish Kiernan, commercial director for property at Network Rail, said: “It was so important for us to be involved in the Food Waste Heroes initiative [as] it ensures that leftover food from retailers at our stations is not wasted but instead reaches the local community.
“It is a great example of how businesses can collaborate to make a positive impact. By working closely with SSP, Olio and now other retail partners, Network Rail will be able to not only cut food waste but also drive greater sustainability and deliver more for local people.”
Under the programme, collections of edible pre-packaged items that didn’t sell in time are set aside by retail staff, picked up by volunteers, listed online and shared with local communities through the Olio app.
