A supermarket chain has given more than 2,500 meals to food bank charities across the north-east.
Over the Easter holidays, Aldi was able to give unwanted food from their stores to local foodbanks, making up the equivalent of 2,584 meals.
Currently, the UK is facing a cost of living crisis, with bills on food, gas and energy rising significantly, leaving some families no alternative but to rely on food banks.
Around 105 tonnes of food was donated throughout the UK, with more than 187,000 meals going to charities that then give them out to families.
Food bank users in Grampian could rise by 29% over the coming months
Research conducted by Aldi and community-giving platform Neighbourly found that 98% of food banks in Scotland have seen demand soar since the start of the year.
They also found that of the 700 outlets they researched in Scotland, around 30% of people using their services were new as of January 2022.
In Grampian, demand for food bank services has risen on average by 28% since January.
Some predict that this could go up by another 29% within the next three months as the cost of living crisis starts to really impact households even more.
Liz Fox, corporate responsibility director at Aldi UK, said: “The school holidays can be a busy time for the local charities and organisations we support, but, especially in the current climate, food banks are experiencing even greater demand than usual.
“We’re proud to support so many good causes in Grampian, helping them provide meals to those in need over the recent school holidays.”
Crisis is ‘deepening’
Steve Butterworth from Neighbourly added: “The findings of our latest survey highlight that the cost of living crisis is clearly deepening, with families and households up and down the country really starting to feel the pinch and turning to charities and local causes for support as a result.
“During what is a hard time for everyone, anything people can do to give back in the coming weeks will make all the difference.”
The Press and Journal is working hard to raise awareness of food poverty, and get the conversation going about where people can get help.
As part of the Big Food Appeal, we’re highlighting some of the vital work being carried out in our communities, as well as trying to debunk some of the myths about foodbanks.
For more information, or to get involved with The Big Food Appeal, click here.