Morrisons customers can purchase pre-packed bags of groceries designed around the needs of local food banks. The move follows £10m initial donation from the supermarket at the start of the pandemic.
Morrisons is making it easier for its customers to feed people in need by launching food parcels that can be bought and then donated at the checkout.
Food banks are often overwhelmed by products such as rice and pasta and short of other items that people actually need.
The supermarket’s new ‘Pick Up Packs’ cost between £1 and £3 and contain a mix of food products that have been requested by the local food bank based on their local needs.
The packs are the brainchild of Morrisons colleague Michelle Leary from Basingstoke, who noticed that customers struggled with what to donate to food banks.
The pre-packed parcels mean that customers don’t need to spend time browsing the shelves for items to donate. After a successful trial, they are now being rolled out nationally.
Customers can easily pick one up at the start of their shop and pay for it at the till with the rest of their shopping. The pack is then put aside and collected by volunteers working for the food bank.
Rebecca Singleton, Community Director at Morrisons, said:
“The UK’s food banks are a lifeline for the most vulnerable in our communities and these parcels are an easy way to donate to them. At Morrisons, we want to play our full part in feeding the nation and ensure nobody gets left behind.”
The ‘Pick Up Pack’ initiative is part of Morrisons drive to restock Britain’s food banks and continue feeding the nation, particularly those who are vulnerable and struggling with the economic fallout of COVID-19.
Additionally, Morrisons, in partnership with the Trussell Trust, has also become the first UK supermarket to trial an online donation mechanism that goes straight into the pockets of local food banks. Customers can purchase £10 vouchers on the Morrisons Food Boxes website (http://www.morrisons.com/food-boxes) which gets sent directly to a local food bank of their choice. The online scheme was initially piloted with 5 local food banks and has now been rolled out to 50 nationally. For more information, visit www.morrisons.co.uk.
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