John Lewis Partnership to donate more than £1 million to charities fighting child poverty
The John Lewis Partnership is to donate over £1 million this summer to more than 1,000 local charities and community organisations that are working to help end child poverty in the UK.
The move forms part of the retailer’s Give a Little Love programme which aims to make a lasting difference to people in need.
John Lewis and Waitrose shops will be tackling the issue by directing their regular community donations to charities in their own communities that support children in poverty. The support will run from May to July and will take the form of donations of money, products and food.
Marija Rompani, director of ethics and sustainability at the John Lewis Partnership, said: “No child should ever go hungry or be without basic human needs and we want to do all we can to help. By working with the many incredible charities in local communities across the country, we hope to make a real impact and help as many children as we can.”
The two retailers are also members of Marcus Rashford’s Child Food Poverty Task Force.
Rashford added: “John Lewis Partnership is a valuable founding member of the Child Food Poverty Task Force and the company has strongly demonstrated their commitment to ending child food poverty across the UK since we formed. ‘Give a Little Love’ was a powerful and touching campaign over the Christmas holidays and I’m thrilled to see that campaign being built upon to guarantee more of those in need get the help they deserve. I want to take the opportunity to thank the John Lewis Partnership for their ongoing support.”
The Give a Little Love campaign has already raised over £3 million for long term charity partners FareShare, Home-Start and local community groups and a further £2 million was pledged by the partnership earlier this year.
Waitrose shops will also be continuing to donate surplus food to the FareShare. Since 2017, the retailer has donated the equivalent of more than five million meals to people in need.
