School and education caterer Chartwells has partnered with the food aid charity Feeding Britain to help reduce hunger across the UK.
The two organisations share a common purpose to provide affordable, nutritious food to children and communities, and this new partnership will see them work collaboratively to help decrease hunger across the country, which has been exacerbated by the ongoing cost of living crisis.
Feeding Britain has three core programmes – Affordable Food Clubs, Pathways from Poverty, and its Holiday Feeding Programme – all of which Chartwells has committed to supporting through its network of State and Independent schools across the UK. This will see the provision of food from across its supply chain, the donation of time and expertise from its nutrition, culinary, and operations teams, as well as fundraising support, and volunteering power.
Feeding Britain’s Affordable Food Clubs act as a bridge between those who are struggling with their weekly shop and needing to access a Food Bank. With nearly 300 hubs across the country, members of the club pay a small £1 fee to then receive heavily discounted food ingredients or freshly prepared meals.
Chartwells will be immediately supporting clubs in Liverpool and Greenwich, with food, cookery sessions, and nutrition guidance this academic year, before rolling out the initiative more widely next academic year.
Andrew Forsey, National Director, Feeding Britain commented on the initiative saying: “Chartwells is a business that shares our values and is doing fantastic work feeding children up and down the UK. There are great synergies between our two organisations, through initiatives such as the Holiday Feeding Programme, and we are very excited to see how we can work collaboratively to help bring affordable, nutritious food to more communities.”
The Holiday Feeding Programme came about as a direct result of the lobbying and awareness campaign of Feeding Britain. Chartwells supports the delivery of programmes across the country through engaging sessions delivered by its nutrition team. This year, through this partnership, Chartwells will extend its support through the provision of engaging collateral and the delivery of more in-person sessions from its nutrition team.
In addition to these initiatives, Chartwells will fundraise for Feeding Britain as its primary charity partner, kicking off the relationship with a donation of £1,000, which was raised during a recent supplier engagement conference.
Longer term, Chartwells will continue to support Feeding Britain through further fundraising initiatives.
Charlie Brown, Managing Director, Chartwells said of the partnership: “We can’t overstate our immense excitement to be partnering with Feeding Britain – a charity that shares our purpose and values. This is a truly symbiotic relationship that will see us open up our skills, expertise, and supply chain to help Feeding Britain, as we collectively look to tackle hunger across the UK.”