Local Charity helped to provide more meals for vulnerable people in Swansea through new M&S App
A Swansea-based charity which feeds vulnerable people has been able to ramp up the number of meals it provides to those in need thanks to M&S’s food redistribution programme.
Matthew’s House said that the the popular high street retailer’s programme has enabled them to provide over 12,000 meals to the community using surplus food donated by M&S, coming at a crucial time as the Covid-19 pandemic continues.
The programme introduced a new colleague app in March, which notifies charities when surplus food is available, helping to increase donations and stop food going to waste. Thom Lynch, project manager at Matthew’s House in Swansea explains,
“Matthew’s House is a project in Swansea that feeds and supports the most vulnerable including rough sleepers. Having M&S on board at Matthew’s House is a dream! The range of items we get is brilliant and really helps us offer the best and most nutritious meals to our guests who need us. We serve over 300 people a week at the moment with 18,000 hot meal packs delivered through lockdown. Without the support of these key donations we would have to slow down our creativity and productivity. Food matters, hospitality matters, and hope is needed now more than ever! Thank you to M&S for standing with us for the last few years and for so many more ahead. We are truly grateful for the kindness.”
Hannah Jenkins, Store Manager at M&S Mumbles said,
“When we have surplus food our absolute priority is for it to end up on someone’s plate, through our charity redistribution programme with Neighbourly. We’re thrilled that the app has already helped to make a difference to charities like Matthew’s House who do such an incredible job in our local community. By providing charities with updates in real-time, they’re able to collect even more meals to feed the people they support and help us to prevent food going to waste.”
Since 2015, M&S stores have supported over 2,000 local causes nationwide, from food banks to youth clubs and hospices, donating 17.8 million meals so far to those in need. In partnership with Neighbourly the new colleague app is now in all 585 M&S stores, enabling many of them to more than double their food redistribution rates. Across the UK, more than 6 million meals have been donated since 1st March alone.
M&S is always looking for new partners to work with. Local charity and community groups who would like to get involved in the food surplus programme or other charity initiatives are encouraged to email mandsfood@neighbourly.com to find out more.