Community Shop teams up with Ocado to launch new ‘On the Go’ initiative
Community Shop has teamed up with Ocado Retail to launch a new ‘On the Go’ service to further tackle food insecurity.
The social supermarket chain is introducing a mobile version of its stores in six of the most deprived communities in England as it looks to reach more people who are struggling with the ongoing cost of living crisis. The move also helps businesses to unlock the power of surplus in tackling unnecessary food waste.
Ocado and Community Shop have been working in close collaboration for many years. Thanks to the new ‘On the Go’ van donated by Ocado, eligible families can visit fully stocked mobile shops and put together a shopping basket of healthy, staple foods and household products for as little as £3.
Part of Company Shop Group, the UK’s largest surplus redistributor, Community Shop said the initiative has already been a great success in Barnsley, where an initial pilot redistributed more than 11,000 products to families. Now, with additional funding from Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council, the service is being extended to enable it to reach an additional 10,000 families.
Gary Stott, executive chairman of Community Shop, said: “We are very excited to officially be launching Community Shop ‘On the Go’, which will expand our efforts to tackle food waste across the nation, and bring vital food access and educational support to families.
“A huge thanks goes to both Ocado Retail and Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council for all their collaboration and generosity which has helped this happened. We would encourage businesses who want to do something wholly positive with their surplus to get in touch and find out more about what Community Shop can do.”
Jonathan Wiseman, general counsel and chief people officer at Ocado Retail said: “We’re incredibly proud to be supporting Community Shop’s new On the Go programme. Ocado has worked with Community Shop for many years now and we know what a huge difference the service makes to communities up and down the country. We’re looking forward to continuing to support this fantastic charity.”
