A BUDGET supermarket chain has been described as a ‘lifeline’ to charities after it donated thousands of meals to help Dorset families over the festive period.

As part of its scheme to support those experiencing food poverty, Aldi - which has two stores in Weymouth – donated a total of 11,520 meals to local charities, community groups and food banks across Dorset.

Pledging to donate 1.8 million meals during November and December alone Aldi paired up its stores with local organisations who helped gather all unsold fresh and chilled food on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve

The donations prove the spirit of giving at Christmas is still very much alive. Around 550,000 meals were donated nationwide - and more than 700 UK causes were supported by the scheme over the festive period.

Mary Dunn, managing director of Corporate Responsibility at Aldi UK, said: “The festive season is always a hard time for people affected by food poverty, so we are incredibly proud to have supported so many amazing causes in Dorset this Christmas.”

Aldi have a partnership with Neighbourly – a community focused platform that brings together businesses and charitable organisations. This partnership means all of Aldi’s 950 UK stores donate surplus food to local causes seven days a week, 365 days a year.

Steve Butterworth, from Neighbourly, said: “This Christmas was without a doubt one of the busiest on record for the UK’s charities and food banks. The sizeable donations from Aldi would have been a massive lifeline for so many of them.”

Along with Neighbourly, Aldi pledged to donate 10 million meals to families in need in 2021 - the donations received over Christmas helped them meet that pledge.

Giles Hurley, Chief Executive Officer at Aldi UK and Ireland, said: “We’re making it our mission to fight against child food poverty as no child should every go hungry. This campaign also aims to raise awareness of the increasing number of families struggling to put food on the table.”

Aldi has donated more than 20 million meals across the UK since the start of their partnership with Neighbourly in April 2019. Since then, they have introduced community donation points in all stores, which offer customers the opportunity to donate food or household products to local causes all year round.