Sainsbury’s and Comic Relief to provide over one million meals to children facing food poverty in the school holidays

• Sainsbury’s is on a mission to help children and families access healthy and nutritious food, with a focus on supporting those who are not eligible for government support 
• The retailer will donate over £2.5 million to Comic Relief to support children in the school holidays   
• Customers can easily support throughout July by purchasing selected products, or donating to Comic Relief, in store and online

This summer, Sainsbury’s and Comic Relief have committed to donating over £2.5m, to help children and families with access to nutritious food by providing over one million meals in the school holidays.

The retailer and Comic Relief are also working together to fund organisations such as Feeding Britain, The Bread and Butter Thing and London Community Foundations, who will provide healthy meals and free enriching activities for children over the summer break. The funding will also help launch five new food club hubs, which will run all-year-around and provide long-term solutions to help improve families’ access to food during the holidays and beyond.

There are currently 900,000 children in England who are experiencing food poverty but aren’t eligible for free school meals, while those who do receive them are only supported by the government’s Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme for four weeks of the six-week break, highlighting the pressing need for extra support.

Additionally, research by the Department of Education found that during school holiday breaks, children from low-income households are less likely to take part in organised out-of-school activities, are more likely to have ‘unhealthy holidays’ due to lack of nutrition and physical health and are also more likely to be socially isolated.¹

Throughout July, Sainsbury’s is rallying its customers to help them on their mission. Until 23rd July, the supermarket will donate 25p to Comic Relief for every purchase of selected fruit and veg, from cherry tomatoes to easy peelers and sweet peppers. Additionally, until 30th July, its supplier Mars Food will donate £100k to Comic Relief from the proceeds of all Dolmio product sales in Sainsbury’s.

Customers are also encouraged to donate what they can at tills, online or via Nectar. A donation of just £2.50 could help to provide a child with a healthy and nutritious meal.

Wider initiatives in place over the school holidays include kids eating for free in Sainsbury’s Cafés from 15th July – 3rd of September, with the purchase of any adult hot main meal. This promotion alone is expected to give away approximately 18,000 kids meals, either hot meals or lunch bags.²

Ruth Cranston, Director of Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability at Sainsbury’s, says: “We know that the school holidays are a difficult time for many families, especially for children who aren’t eligible for free school meals. This is where our Nourish the Nation programme comes into play, with the aim of turning the school holiday experience from one of surviving to thriving.

Working with Comic Relief, we’re able to provide nourishing meals and activities throughout the school holidays. The work of the organisations we’re funding will be transformative to the lives of so many families across the country, ensuring that children return to school well-fed and ready to learn.

In total this Spring and Summer, we will have committed to donating over £4.2m³ to supporting children with access to nutritious food, through donations to Comic Relief. We hope that all the funding will help towards building lasting change for these children and their families.”

This activity builds on the incredible work that Sainsbury’s and Comic Relief have already achieved, with this year marking the partnership’s 25th anniversary. In that time the supermarket has raised more than £170m, including over £9.2m in the last year alone.

¹  Department of Education, 2022 

² Usually, adult hot main meals cost £5.50 and kids meals cost £3.50, so customers with children will be saving £3.50

³ This figure has been calculated based on a £1.7m donation that has already been made to support children this summer through The Bread and Butter Thing, Feeding Britain and London Community Foundations, and a £2.5m donation that will be made to support children in future school holidays