Sainsbury’s and Comic Relief have launched the next phase of their long-running partnership, setting a target to raise £30m by 2030 to support families facing food insecurity across the UK.
Sainsbury’s said the fundraising drive will help provide millions more meals for children and families over the next five years, through initiatives including food clubs, after-school meals and school holiday clubs.
The new target forms part of Sainsbury’s wider push to support access to food, with the retailer aiming to help the partnership reach 120m donated meals for UK children and families since 2022.
Sainsbury’s will reportedly match every pound raised by colleagues and customers this summer, including donations made in store and online, as well as money raised through a new colleague fundraising challenge.
The campaign follows new research commissioned by Comic Relief and Sainsbury’s, which found that more than one in six parents surveyed had put their children to bed hungry or without enough food at least once a week over the past year because of difficulties accessing or affording food.
The Censuswide poll of 2,010 parents of primary school-aged children across the UK also found that almost a third had skipped meals at least once a week so their children could eat.
More than a quarter said they had pretended there was more food in the house than there actually was to avoid upsetting their children.
The findings underline the pressure on UK households as retailers continue to navigate a value-led consumer environment, with food affordability remaining a major concern for families.
Sainsbury’s chief executive Simon Roberts said: “No child should go to bed hungry, yet today this is the reality facing far too many families across the UK.
“Building on our decades-long partnership with Comic Relief, we’re setting a bold new ambition to change this by raising £30 million for Comic Relief by 2030, helping us to reach a total of 120 million meals donated to children and families across the UK since 2022.
“We’re stepping up our fundraising ambitions, and this summer we’ll be matching every pound raised by our colleagues and customers, from our new colleague fundraising challenge to the in-store and online donations our customers can make when they shop with us.
“These vital funds will support Comic Relief to drive action across industry initiatives that will help improve children’s health, support families and make sure everyone has the support systems they need.”
The activity is being supported by the release of a short film, Let’s Put Hunger to Bed, featuring actor Jodie Whittaker narrating a poem written by Comic Relief co-founder Richard Curtis.
The film is designed to raise awareness of household food insecurity and encourage customer engagement with the fundraising campaign.
Comic Relief co-founder Richard Curtis said the research showed the scale of hardship facing families across the UK.
“The work Comic Relief and Sainsbury’s are doing together to help get millions more meals to children and families is crucial, and has never been more needed,” he said.
The research also found that 57 per cent of parents surveyed had skipped a meal in the past year so their children could eat, while 66 per cent had relied on snacks or light meals instead of a full evening meal for themselves or other adults in the household.
Sainsbury’s said funds raised through the partnership will support community initiatives including The Bread and Butter Thing, which runs food clubs from local hubs and provides groceries, fresh produce and pantry staples at lower cost.
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