Deliveroo and the Trussell Trust are today announcing a new annual commitment to raise funds to help provide a further two million meals and additional investment into support services for people facing hunger across the UK.
Following the success of the partnership over the last year, customers in London will be able to continue showing their support through a round-up donation function in the Deliveroo app as they complete their food orders.
The donations raised over the next 12 months will go towards supporting food banks across Greater London as well as funding vital services including access to financial and mental health services – a priority for the partnership this year. The initiatives that are funded through the partnership will not only meet the rising levels of need for food banks but also support people to increase their income, which means they can afford the essentials and no longer need to access a food bank.
The partnership comes as new research released today by Deliveroo and the Trussell Trust reveals that:
- As the rising cost of living continues to bite, over two in five (43%) of Londoners describe themselves as financially insecure.
- This is impacting thousands of people’s health in London, with two in five (40%) saying their mental health has suffered, over one in four (27%) saying their physical health has deteriorated, and over a third (38%) feeling overwhelmed and anxious on a weekly basis when thinking about the rising cost of living.
- This has led to an increasing number of people looking for support, with two in five people in London (40%) seeking mental health support in the last two years due to stress linked in part to the cost of living.
However, those that need help have also found it challenging:
- One in four (29%) who have sought mental health support in London said it wasn’t clear where they could get help and more than two in five (44%) found it difficult to access support once they had located a service.
- The social barriers for seeking advice are also still prevalent with a quarter (25%) admitting they would be too embarrassed to seek financial advice if they were struggling, and nearly a third (30%) would find it uncomfortable speaking to their family about their financial challenges.
The research highlights why free and accessible support services are so vital for people facing hardship. Whether it’s help with essentials like food and toiletries, providing advice on finances, or delivering a pathway to mental health support, the donations will fund the Trussell Trust’s work in association with partners like Citizens Advice and Mind to help people experiencing difficulties.
As part of the partnership, Deliveroo will also support the Trussell Trust through its employee volunteering initiative called ‘The Big Deliver’, which has seen over 500 Deliveroo employees volunteer with the company’s charity partners across several markets over the past year. This year, teams from across Deliveroo will be able to embed with their counterparts at the Trussell Trust to help build capacity and lend their expertise. For example, Deliveroo’s technology team will be taking part in a ‘hackathon’ style day to help the Trussell Trust identify solutions to some of the tricky challenges they face in achieving their vision of a future without the need for food banks.
The work with the Trussell Trust in the UK is part of Deliveroo’s global Full Life campaign, which will see the company help provide four million meals globally through its charity partners in order to help people facing hunger. Customers across all 10 international markets will be able to donate via the Deliveroo app to the likes of the Red Cross, with all proceeds going to charities dedicated to fighting hunger and poverty. In addition to this, Deliveroo will continue to distribute surplus food from its Deliveroo HOP sites through partnerships with the Felix Project and Too Good To Go.
Will Shu, CEO and Founder at Deliveroo, said: “At Deliveroo we want to use our unique network for good and help support people facing hardship. Last year, our partnership with the Trussell Trust provided 2 million meals for people facing hunger and this year we are going further. Donations from our generous customers will help deliver another 2 million meals but also provide vital funding for critical financial guidance and access to mental health services, and the team here at Deliveroo will be lending their expertise to the Trussell Trust. Together we want to play our part in helping to tackle food insecurity and hunger in the UK.”
Samantha Stapley, Chief Operations and People Officer, at the Trussell Trust said: “We are delighted to be extending our partnership with Deliveroo and look forward to building on the significant success of the previous year which generated vital funding for the wide range of services that food banks in our network provide. The generosity of Deliveroo and their customers is needed now more than ever as food banks in our network are experiencing a sharp increase in the number of people accessing their services.
The partnership is not only helping provide emergency food to help food banks meet the rising levels of need, but also funding initiatives that connect people to mental health support and deliver personalised financial guidance to help people increase their income so that they do not need to visit a food bank again. Deliveroo’s commitment is not only helping people facing poverty now but also supporting us to achieve our vision of a future without the need for food banks.”
The global network of 10 charities in 10 different markets marks an important expansion of the company’s Full Life campaign and its longstanding commitment to supporting local communities and delivering food to those who need it most.
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