The Trussell Trust partners with local communities to help stop UK hunger by running a network of over 420 foodbanks and providing a range of additional ‘More Than Food’ services, which aim to tackle the underlying causes of poverty by offering immediate help at the point of crisis. These include money advice, cooking and budgeting courses and holiday clubs for struggling families.
Waitrose’s donation will cover the core costs of running ‘Eat Well Spend Less’ courses, The Trussell Trust’s free six-session course which teaches cookery skills and household budgeting tips to make tight budgets stretch further. The basics of inexpensive and nutritious cooking, as well as household budgeting and meal planning to help reduce food waste are all covered in each two and a half hour long session. The hands-on sessions see participants preparing food such as basic tomato sauce, burgers, homemade bread, and cereal bars.
Judith, a mother of two, who now helps to run an Eat Well Spend Less course after attending one herself and gaining more confidence in her ability, said:
“It changed how I spent my money. Now I’m spending a third less on food as a result of the course – I am making big savings and using the money I am saving to pay off some of my other debts. My young son comes and helps me in the kitchen now; he is my little sous chef when I am preparing meals. I’m also now not buying cereal bars for my children as I learnt how to make my own here.”
Tina Varns, Manager, Sustainability and Responsible Sourcing at Waitrose, said:
“We’re delighted to extend our partnership with The Trussell Trust by supporting their much needed ‘More than Food’ programme, which helps people in need in the local community. We have worked with the Trussell Trust since 2012 and were the first supermarket to host permanent foodbank collection points, providing a steady flow of food to local people who need it most.”
Samantha Stapley, Corporate Partnerships Manager at The Trussell Trust, said:
“We’re thrilled to have Waitrose’s support for our Eat Well Spend Less cookery courses. We often meet people who manage extremely tight budgets, but for someone less confident Eat Well spend Less makes a real difference. Ending hunger in the UK is about so much more than food – it’s about building resilience and working proactively with people to make sure when crisis hits, people aren’t left needing a foodbank.”
The donation is part of the ongoing partnership between Waitrose and The Trussell Trust, which began in 2012. Permanent collection points in Waitrose stores have provided a steady supply of donations to foodbanks in The Trussell Trust network, and in 2015-16 over 1,000,000 million meals were donated by Waitrose customers to help local people facing hunger.
The supermarket currently funds The Trussell Trust’s ‘Tea for Trussell’ fundraiser, providing packs so people can hold their own tea party in support of the work of the charity. Get your own pack here: https://www.trusselltrust.org/get-involved/events/tea-for-trussell/
