Food Bank Christmas Appeal – Join in

Donate in-store for our Food bank partners

Throughout December, we're supporting food banks through our Food Bank Christmas Appeal to help provide vital support for our food bank partners ahead of the challenging month of January.

In all Your Co-op Food Stores, we're encouraging our members, customers & colleagues to donate what they can to help those most in need over the festive period. Donations via till points, as well as to drop essential items into stores’ food bank collection points. Selected larger stores will also be selling pre-packed bags containing the essential items identified by their local food bank partner.

How can you make a difference?

You can make a difference and support your local food bank when you visit your local Your Co-op Food Store by:

• Donating money to our food bank fund at the till

• Donating essential items into our food bank collection points

• Selected larger stores will also be selling pre-packed bags containing the essential items identified by their local food bank partner.

What will we do with our food bank fund?

At the end of the December campaign, donations raised from all stores will be totalled up and distributed equally to each of our foodbank partners in January, when demand for food bank services typically peaks.

Our food bank fund was initially launched at the start of the pandemic to help ensure that all those in need could continue to access essential supplies. It has since raised over £90,000 for our food bank partners across our heartland counties of Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, Buckinghamshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, the West Midlands, Wiltshire and Worcestershire.

What else are we doing to help?

Many of our colleagues volunteer throughout the year in food banks in their local communities, and we will be supporting any colleagues who wish to volunteer at their local food bank throughout the festive period and into the New Year.

Our stores also continue to work with the Too Good to Go app, to sell discounted ‘magic bags’ of food to customers that would otherwise go to waste. Last Christmas, our stores worked sold over 5,000 'magic bags' via the app, saving approximately 5 tonnes of food and helping to feed almost 2,500 households.

Why are we supporting food banks?

Food poverty in the UK has been on the rise for a number of years, with over 2,500 food banks now supporting the most vulnerable in communities up and down the country.

The demand for support from food banks has significantly increased in recent years, compounded by the pandemic and increase in the cost of living which sees many more families needing that extra help to put food on the table. As a co-operative business with ethics at the heart of what we do, we’re committed to supporting our local communities.

We have over 60 food bank partners across our trading areas, helping to support the most vulnerable in our local communities through funding and collection boxes in our food stores.