Neighbourly has partnered with Aldi to launch a new “Spring” fund for emergency provision to families in need across the UK.
Qualifying charities in the Neighbourly network, including baby banks and children’s centres, will be able to access microgrants of £500 to help them provide immediate aid to struggling families. This comes as cost-of-living payments to help with high energy and food bills have come to an end, leaving many families across the UK vulnerable.
While the Chancellor announced in the budget that the Household Support Fund would be extended, many say that the failure to continue the fund past October will lead to an increase in families being unable to meet their basic needs in the winter.
New research by Pro Bono Economics (PBE) and Nottingham Trent University has shown that since 2010, there has been a £13.bn reduction in council funds to charities, while a number of councils are now facing bankruptcy. This is further compounded by individual donations to local charities also being in decline due to the cost-of-living crisis.
Neighbourly’s latest Winter community survey highlighted that 83% of good causes focused on supporting families and children had seen an increase in demand for their services over the past 3 months, triggering Neighbourly to initiate the fund as financial strains persist.
The current fund will support approximately 136 charities across the country, with other businesses also invited to join forces and help provide emergency support to those worst affected.
Liz Fox, National Sustainability Director at Aldi, said:
“Our giving programme with Neighbourly is multifaceted and since we began working together in 2019, we’re proud to have donated £750,000 to the Neighbourly Foundation, along with over 46 million meals through our surplus scheme, with a value of £78 million.
“We know that challenging times continue for local communities, with economic pressures persisting, meaning we are more committed than ever to doing what we can to give back
“We hope the grants will give charities across the country a much-needed boost but also encourage others to join forces to help our local communities at this time.”
Anita Rao of Wesley Hall Community Centre in Leicester, a previous recipient of a Neighbourly community fund grant, said:
“Our community centre is based in a deprived area of the city. These sorts of grants help people to see the light in the tunnel. It makes such a difference in the local community – people feel that there is someone to care for them.”
Steve Butterworth, CEO of Neighbourly, said:
“We’re proud to continue to partner with Aldi and launch this new initiative which will allow us to provide vital aid to charities across the country as many families are being pushed into poverty and destitution. With the support of more businesses, we hope that we will be able to help even more charitable organisations.”
For more information about pledging support as a business, email businessresponse@neighbourly.com