Aldi to give away Christmas lunches to people in need

Britain’s fourth-largest supermarket, Aldi has announced it’s working in partnership with Community Shops to deliver 2,000 free Christmas dinners across the country in the run-up to Christmas.

The Company Shop Group is the UK’s leading redistributor of surplus food and household products. Through its membership programme, Community Shop, it offers deeply discounted goods to low-income communities. It has worked with Aldi since the start of the year, managing and redistributing the supermarket’s excess stock to those in need.

 Under the Christmas partnership, Community Shop members will be able to sign up for a three-course Christmas meal on a first come, first served basis.

Becoming a member of Community Shop is free to people who live locally to stores and who are on means tested benefits including:

• Jobseeker’s allowance
• Income-related employment and support allowance
• Income support
• Pension credit
• Tax credits (child tax credit and working tax credit)
• Housing benefit
• Council tax support
• Social fund (sure start maternity grant, funeral payment, cold weather payment)
• Universal credit 

Community Shop has stores in:

• Athersley
• Beechwood
• Bewsey
• Goldthorpe
• Grimsby
• Kirkdale
• Knottingly
• Lambeth
• Runcorn
• Stock Farm
• Tong Street
• Eastfield

 Liz Fox, National Sustainability Director at Aldi UK, said: “Our Regional Distribution Centres work with Company Shop Group all year round, redistributing our surplus stock and donating food to provide affordable groceries for Community Shop members.

"This Christmas, we want to do something extra special to show our support, providing Christmas lunch donations to spread some festive joy among those who need it most.”

Gary Stott, Executive Chairman at Community Shop, said: “We’re incredibly grateful for Aldi’s generosity. Many of our members will feel the impact of the cost-of-living crisis even more this Christmas and moments like this will help to spread some Christmas cheer and bring our communities together.”

 To find out more, become a member or register for a free Christmas lunch, visit www.companyshopgroup.co.uk