Sainsbury’s is committing more than £8m to tackle school holiday hunger and complement the government’s Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme, through the supermarket’s partnership with Comic Relief.
The funding will help create additional holiday club places from this summer until at least March 2029, building on two years of support so far. Sainsbury’s aims to have funded over 500,000 new holiday club places in total by the end of its latest three-year commitment.
The work comes with over two million children living in food-insecure households in the UK, according to the Food Foundation.
To close the “hunger gap”, Sainsbury’s is calling on the government to expand HAF cover to all school holidays, including half-terms, and align eligibility with free school meals.
Since 2022, Sainsbury’s has donated the equivalent of 60 million meals as part of its partnership with Comic Relief. The retailer now has an ambition to raise £30m by 2030, helping to donate a total of 120 million meals to children and families across the UK.
To help achieve this, the supermarket has also kicked off an all-colleague fundraising push, Move for Meals.
Across July and August, Sainsbury’s and Argos colleagues across the UK will be taking on challenges including an Olympic torch-style relay race from Wick to Penzance, a football tournament and a 200-person sports day in the London Stadium at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
Sainsbury’s customers can donate to Comic Relief in-store, online, or by converting and donating Nectar points. The retailer will match all customer donations made to Comic Relief until 31 July.
“Too many children are at risk of going without the food they need during the school holidays – something we simply can’t ignore,” said Sainsbury’s director of sustainability Ruth Cranston. “We need continued, system-wide action to close the holiday hunger gap, so that no child goes hungry.
“That’s why we’re committing a significant investment into complementing the government’s Holiday Activities and Food programme, so that more children access nutritious food when they need it most.
“It’s been incredible to see our colleagues rally behind this cause – taking on everything from personal challenges to team events right across the UK to raise vital funds for Comic Relief and the organisations working on the ground to tackle food insecurity.”
No comments yet