Aldi donated 42,700 meals in County Durham over Christmas

The meals were distributed through charities by donating surplus food from its stores.

The donations, totalling 42,700 meals, were delivered from Aldi branches across the county through its long-standing partnership with the community giving platform Neighbourly.

Luke Emery, national sustainability director at Aldi UK, said: “This Christmas we were proud to support so many incredible charities across the UK who provide essential support to those in need.

“The services provided by food banks are more important than ever in the current climate, especially over the festive period and we’re committed to ensuring those that rely on them have access to a wide range of high-quality foods.”

Among the organisations supported in County Durham were Eastbourne Community Hub, The Partnership Project and Spennymoor Foodbank.

The donated food, which included fresh and chilled items, was given to charities after stores closed early on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.

Neighbourly reported growing pressure on the organisations it supports this winter, with four out of five charities noting a rise in demand over the past six months.

Aldi has worked with Neighbourly since 2019, providing surplus stock from every UK branch to thousands of charities.

Steve Butterworth, CEO at Neighbourly, said: “We’re so grateful to have had Aldi’s support for another year.

“Christmas is one of the busiest periods for our charities and the donations from Aldi mean we can help even more people across the country who need that bit of extra support over the festive period.”

Aldi shoppers can also contribute by donating food at in-store community donation points.

In addition to its partnership with Neighbourly, Aldi works with the Company Shop Group to redistribute surplus food and household goods from its regional distribution centres.

This year, it provided more than 2,500 free Christmas lunches to Company Shop’s Community Shop social enterprise.

The supermarket also made it easier for shoppers to give back through a warm clothing and post-Christmas clear-out appeal with The Salvation Army and InPost Lockers, allowing customers to donate coats, hats, scarves and gloves – as well as unwanted Christmas gifts in good condition.

Donations could be left at designated InPost Locker points in stores nationwide.