23 Apr Deliveroo expands campaign to fight hunger
Deliveroo and the Trussell Trust are today announcing a new commitment to raise funds and help provide an equivalent of 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 the UK 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 the UK, 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 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 a third (36%) of people describe themselves as financially insecure
This is impacting people’s health across the country with one in three (39%) people’s mental health suffering and a quarter (24%) saying their physical health has suffered, and a third (30%) 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 more than a fifth (22%) 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:
Over a third (38%) who have sought mental health support said it wasn’t clear where they could get help and nearly half (46%) found it difficult to access once they had located a service.
The social barriers for seeking advice are also still prevalent with one in five (19%) admitting they would be too embarrassed to seek financial advice if they were struggling, and over a quarter (29%) 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 to people worried about money, or delivering a pathway to mental health support, Deliveroo consumers’ 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 even more 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.”
