Aldi stores help Buxton food bank provide 18,000 meals for vulnerable

Aldi has been donating fresh food to the High Peak Food Bank every week.

Buxton-based High Peak Food Bank, part of The Zink Project, has been receiving donations of fresh food each week from the Aldi stores in Buxton and Chapel-en-le-Frith, which have been used to provide emergency food parcels to those facing food poverty.

The charity provides additional support to tackle the underlying problems that cause families to need a food bank.

This includes help from Zink Advice to resolve issues related to finance, benefits and housing and Zink Employability support to move into work and financial independence, so they do not need a foodbank again.

Paul Bohan, The Zink Project CEO, said: “We’re seeing more people across the High Peak and North Derbyshire Dales turning to us for support during this pandemic, and we are working hard to ensure that no one in the area has to go without food.

“We rely on the generosity of others, and Aldi’s regular donations are helping us to do even more to tackle food poverty and food waste in the area. We look forward to continuing our partnership with them.”

The milestone marks the one-year anniversary of Aldi’s partnership with community engagement platform, Neighbourly, which sees each Aldi store donate perishable items such as fresh fruit and veg as well as long life items and baked goods at the end of each day to local food banks and charities.

Since the beginning of the partnership, Aldi has donated more than six million meals to good causes across the UK.

Fritz Walleczek, managing director of corporate responsibility at Aldi, said: “We’re always looking for new and creative ways to put leftover food from our stores to good use.

“Our partnership with High Peak Food Bank and The Zinc Project, along with other charities in the area is enabling us to distribute even more surplus stock to those who need it most.

“Our aim is for fresh, healthy food to be accessible for everyone, and our successful partnership with Neighbourly has enabled us to extend this commitment by supporting more charities across Derbyshire.”