Sainsbury’s has pledged £3m to good causes tackling food poverty this Christmas.

The supermarket chain is to hand £1.5m to Comic Relief as well as FareShare and other food distribution charity partners supporting communities.

It is also pledging up to £1.5m in match funding for a fundraising push called Nourish the Nation in its stores among customers. This launches today (November 23) and ends on December 24.

According to latest figures from the Food Foundation 13.7m people in the UK are struggling to afford to eat.

The donations will be used will focus on providing immediate access to good and supporting measures to prevent communities falling further into food poverty.

Through its Nourish the Nation campaign, the supermarket says that a £1 donation can buy fruit and a healthy snack for a child, while £5 can feed a child for a day at a community hub during school holidays.

Customers can also donate food in stories to go to local food charities.

Through Sainsbury’s partnership with Comic Relief, which began in 1999, the supermarket is supporting food poverty organisation Feed Britain, which supports local food networks to develop community-based projects to help low-income families. It is also supporting The Bread and Butter Thing, which runs 75 mobile food clubs.

“Right now people need our support more than ever as the rising cost of living pushes them beyond breaking point,” said Comic Relief chief executive Samir Patel.

“Communities across the UK are fearful of what this winter may mean for them. Families are having to make impossible decisions.

He added: “Funds raised will be absolutely vital to the millions of people who are facing the toughest time of their lives, now and in the future.”

Meanwhile, Fareshare chief executive Lindsay Boswell, said: “We’re incredibly grateful for the generous support from Sainsbury’s through Comic Relief’s Cost of Living Appeal. Their donation will help us get more good-to-eat surplus food to people across the UK most impacted by the cost-of-living crisis.

“At a time when demand for our food has skyrocketed, this funding will make a huge difference to the people we support experiencing food poverty.”

Ruth Cranston, Sainsbury’s director of corporate responsibility and sustainability added: “With more challenging months ahead, support for those facing food poverty has never been more critical.

“We know how difficult the rising cost of living is for so many communities across the country which is why we’ve launched our new community programme Nourish the Nation, to help ensure that people have access to the food they need right now, whilst also helping to prevent those who are most at risk from facing food insecurity in the future.”

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