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M&S and partners to donate 100,000 Christmas dinners
Melanie May | 20 December 2024 | News
Marks & Spencer, in partnership with its long-term suppliers 2 Sisters Food Group (2SFG) and Valeo Foods Group, has announced a donation of 100,000 Christmas dinners for families in need.
The donation is part of retailer’s ongoing support of the King’s Coronation Food Project, and will see FareShare collect the food today (20 December) to be distributed to local charities across the UK, including community centres, homelessness charities, lunch clubs and youth centres.
M&S is donating 240,000 portions of vegetables, including prepared roast potatoes, roast parsnips, carrot & swede crush, red cabbage, brussels sprouts, and cauliflower cheese, which are all produced at the Carlisle 2SFG site.
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In addition, Bernard Matthews is donating 100,000 servings of turkey crowns, while Premier Foods is donating 1,800 pots of Bisto Turkey gravy granules. Families will also receive a Matthew Walker Christmas Pudding, a brand that is owned by Valeo Foods Group.
Earlier this year M&S announced a £1mn investment to redistribute surplus ingredients and spare capacity within its supply chain to support the Coronation Food Project. In partnership with 2SFG, the retailer is donating three new specially developed, nutritionally balanced, and freshly prepared M&S family meals, with more than 1.5 million servings going to families in need via FareShare.
Alex Freudmann, Managing Director at M&S Food, said:
“At M&S we are committed to doing the right thing for the people and communities we serve. I’m delighted that this year, in partnership with our suppliers, we’re helping families in need by providing 100,000 Christmas dinners in time for the big day, through our ongoing work supporting FareShare.”
Kris Gibbon-Walsh, CEO of FareShare commented:
“We are enormously grateful to M&S, 2 Sisters Food Group, and Valeo Foods Group for joining forces to help deliver 100,000 meals for people in need over the festive period. At this time of year food brings people together through charities, who offer warmth and connection during the winter months, strengthening communities across the UK. The collaborative effort created by the Coronation Food Project has set a great example for how working together in partnership can make a huge difference in helping support those in need, changing lives and even bringing some festive cheer.”
Neighbourly partnership, & support for Shelter
The partnership also builds on M&S’s food redistribution scheme with its long-standing partner, Neighbourly, which over the past seven years has donated over 70 million products that are too good to waste to more than 1,450 local charities and community organisations.
This year, as part of Neighbourly’s GoGive campaign, Fund a Fridge is supporting UK food charities over the winter by helping them raise funds for a fridge or freezer allowing them to receive more fresh surplus food and feed more people. M&S Food has supported the campaign by donating £20,000 to help 40 local good causes purchase additional fridges or freezers to help increase the amount of food that can be given out.
The retailer is also celebrating 20 years in partnership with Shelter, donating 5% of sales from the Christmas Food On The Move range to the charity. The money raised will go towards supporting Shelter’s emergency helpline.
About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.