Jane Halstead
Brand & Comms Lead
Aldi’s Christmas ad has warmed hearts with the addition of Marcus Radishford and a pledge to donate 1.8M meals to families in need this festive season - through their partnership with Neighbourly.
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The pledge comes as part of Aldi’s wider commitment to play their part in supporting local communities as well as families with children experiencing food poverty.
Marcus Rashford said: “For many children in situations like mine growing up, there is very little expectation around this time of year; add the impact of the pandemic and the very least they deserve is a Christmas dinner.”
Through the Neighbourly platform the retailer has already connected with over 3,000 small charities and local good causes, donating in excess of 20 million meals worth of surplus food and over £488,000 in financial donations since 2019.
The partnership has not only enabled them to donate surplus food that would otherwise be left uneaten but it has enabled Aldi to access a community of over 18,000 local good causes, with full traceability over their food surplus donations and the positive impact it is having on local communities - as well as tracking its environmental benefits with a 32,000 tonne CO2 saving.
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An ongoing commitment
This is not the first time Aldi and Neighbourly have worked with Marcus Rashford. Earlier this year, Aldi was one of several retailers to join the Child Food Poverty Task Force, a coalition of charities and food businesses calling on the Government to implement the three recommendations from the National Food Strategy.
Working with an animator and storyteller, Aldi ran an award-winning ‘Hunger Monster’ campaign that personified the suffering of a child experiencing hunger - upping their pledge to actively support those most in need.
In addition to donating surplus food, Aldi also works with Neighbourly to run its store-based community donation points as well as a grant management programme - distributing funds to good causes supporting local communities across a range of impact themes including child food insecurity - right the way across the UK and Ireland.
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To find out more about donating surplus food or products through Neighbourly’s network of good causes, or to get in touch, head to our ‘Product surplus’ page. Alternatively, learn more about Neighbourly’s partnership with Aldi by clicking the blue button below to download the Aldi case study.
