Nisa retailers have raised nearly £280,000 to support good causes, with the majority of donations being made to food and health charities in their communities since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic.
More than 300 stores have taken part in the intiative through Nisa’s Making a Difference Locally charity. The UK retailer says 52% of all donations over the past three months being made to charities promoting good health and wellbeing, while 43% were made to those promoting good food and nutrition, such as foodbanks and other community groups.
In June alone, Nisa partners donated more than £100,000, an increase of 5% on the previous month.
One such good cause to receive funding over recent months was Lo’gelly Lunches in Scotland, which received a donation to help fund provisions for local people.
“The service, as you can imagine as a result of the recent impact of social distancing, has had to change to meet the demands of our community,” Lorraine Mullen, Community Education Worker, said on behalf of the group: “We are now operating as a community larder; offering food packs to families suffering as a result of the current Covid-19 crisis.”
The voluntary group operates a project in the town looking to combat food poverty, social isolation and clothes poverty.
“The donation from Nisa enables us to offer support to vulnerable families by providing fresh food within their local community,” Mullen says. “This is absolutely crucial at this time as many families find themselves caught up in a web of benefits that are taking time to kick in, with a knock on effect of leaving households with little money available.
“We will also use some of the monies to create a joyful monies programme, whereby we can use some to cultivate a spirit of togetherness in the community, through projects aimed at the wider community; such as cooking initiatives and perhaps a growing project.”
Since its formation in 2008, Making a Difference Locally (MADL) has raised more than £11.7m and supported charities and other good causes with over 12,000 donations.
It raises funds in Nisa partner stores from sales of all own-label products, a percentage of which goes into a virtual fund for retailers to donate. Stores are then able to donate funds raised to a local charity or good cause of their choice within a 10-mile radius.
