It’s been two years since we launched Fight Hunger Create Change with food charities FareShare and the Trussell Trust – and I’d like to say thank you to all our generous customers and colleagues who’ve supported our programme to create long-term positive change to poverty in the UK.
Alleviating the symptoms of poverty is just one focus of the programme. Not only have we been working with our partners to provide more food to more people – we’ve also been working to help tackle some of the root causes of poverty.
There are so many aspects of the Fight Hunger programme that make me proud to be part of it – but some of the standouts are helping FareShare deliver food to 1,790 new charities, donating more than £5 million to 204 different Trussell Trust food banks, and buying 27 new vans for FareShare to distribute food.
By investing £5 million in grants to food banks in the Trussell Trust’s network, we’re making change on a local level. The grants will help the food banks improve accessibility and develop the services they offer to help people get out of the situation they are in.
And we’re making real change on a national level too by funding the most in-depth, independent piece of research into the drivers of hunger in the UK to date, called the State of Hunger. This research will enable the Trussell Trust to tackle real issues and help Government and wider society to develop evidence-based solutions to UK hunger and poverty.
This research has brought to light the startling fact that in the last five years, food banks in the Trussell Trust networks have seen a 73% increase in the number of food parcels provided to people in crisis.
8-10% of UK households were in food insecurity between 2016-2018, with almost 2% of those households turning to a food bank for help.
The aims of the Fight Hunger Create Change programme are to provide an additional 24 million meals every year, give 500,000 people access to fresh food every week, help 1 million people access the food and support they need, and to enable all Asda stores to donate edible surplus food from stores to local charities and community groups.
Behind those headline nationwide figures you'll see we're investing locally in warehouses, vans, industrial freezers and more so that our partner charities have increased capacity to provide more meals for people in need.
Here are Chloe Millington and Richard Gowan from our Hunts Cross and Huyton stores visiting FareShare Merseyside to see the new Asda-funded chiller which will allow the charity to provide 548,500 additional meals to vulnerable people each year. Read more here
By enabling FareShare and the Trussell Trust to join forces, the Trussell Trust have been able to start offering fresh food in emergency parcels improving nutrition, making meals go further and increasing the sense of dignity for those experiencing crisis.
By the end of 2020, all our stores will be able to donate edible surplus food to local charities and community groups – like the Superstars Club in Cookstown, which receives good quality and in-date spare food to teach people with learning disabilities how to cook. Read more here
Thank you to everyone who plays a part in this partnership. It’s remarkable to see the impact of this programme in just two years and we look forward to continuing to work with FareShare and the Trussell Trust to create long term positive change to poverty in the UK.
