Rustington supermarket to donate surplus food to homeless charity

Aldi’s Rustington store in Manor Retail Park has teamed up with Turning Tides, formerly Worthing Churches Homeless Project, for the new initiative.

The charity has community hubs in Worthing, Littlehampton and Horsham.

The new partnership follows on from a successful trial between the supermarket and community engagement platform, Neighbourly. Aldi has paired up a total of four stores in West Sussex with local good causes that are now collecting surplus food up to five days a week.

Fritz Walleczek, Managing Director of Corporate Responsibility at Aldi UK and Ireland, said: “We’re always looking for new and creative ways to increase the amount of food we are able to donate. This partnership is enabling us to distribute even more surplus stock, while supporting a vast range of good causes, across the West Sussex region.

“Our aim is for fresh, healthy food to be accessible for everyone, and Neighbourly are helping us to extend this commitment beyond our affordable range of fresh products.”

Each store is donating perishable items such as fresh fruit and veg, long life items and baked goods.

The trial began in January 2019, and following its success, was rolled out across Aldi’s entire store estate.

Last year the supermarket donated two million meals to charity and expects to increase this by 50 per cent now the trial has been extended to its 827 stores.

Steve Butterworth, Neighbourly CEO, said "We are delighted to be partnering with Aldi on this programme and to help them realise their ambition to benefit those communities local to each and every one of their stores across the UK.

"Food surplus is a challenge Aldi is committed to playing its part to address. This approach is critical to ensure surplus food finds its way easily to the good causes supporting those communities that need it most."

According to a spokesman for the supermarket chain, Aldi has not sent any waste to landfill since 2014, and has also pledged to reduce operational food waste by 50% by 2030 as part of the Friends of Champions 12.3 network.

Aldi has worked with Fareshare and Company Shop since 2012 and is now also partnering with Neighbourly to explore the benefits of more direct relationships within the communities its stores serve, the spokesman added.

Any local charities in Rustington looking to partner up with an Aldi store should email [email protected] to apply.