In line with James Hall & Co.’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy, a new SPAR branded food donation bin has been designed to attract customers’ attention and promote local food banks within SPAR stores across the north of England.

The branded stands have helped SPAR stores raise nearly £20,000 in food donations for food banks across the north, with one store gathering 240 tins of peas and tinned tomatoes in just one day.

As well as being rolled out across company owned stores (North East Convenience Stores) the initiative has also been made available to independent SPAR retailers.

“The demand on local food banks increased dramatically during lockdown and although many retailers were collecting food donations before Covid-19, we wanted to create a coherent, branded stand to catch customers’ eyes and promote local food banks in need,” said Tomas Garliauskas, CSR project co-ordinator at James Hall.

“The branded food bank collection points help SPAR retailers promote the fantastic work our company-owned stores and independent SPAR retailers have been doing in supporting local people.” 

While retailers and company-owned stores were supporting food banks before the branded collection points were available, they were using variations of dump bins, crates and trays.

“This initiative creates a streamlined, eye-catching design for customers to see and be clear of what we are collecting and who for,” Garliauskas added.

“Corporate social responsibility is incredibly important to James Hall & Co., to ensure that we are a responsible retailer, and to enable our network of independent SPAR retailers to access effective sustainability initiatives.

“We work to incorporate CSR into our daily processes and aim to reduce post-purchase waste, reduce our overall carbon footprint and ensure that SPAR stores continue to support local communities across the north of England.”

Donations to the food banks can consist of anything from tinned fruit & vegetables, toilet roll and toiletries, baby products and petfood, cereals and soups, long-life milk and condiments.

Supporting foodbanks across the north of England…

Sunderland Foodbank

Gateshead Foodbank

Newcastle West End Foodbank

Hospitality & Hope

The BAY Foodbank

The Redcar Area Food Bank

Hartlepool Foodbank

Middlesbrough Foodbank

Billingham Food Bank

Blyth Foodbank

Shildon Alive!

Burnley Community Kitchen

Rochdale Foodbank

Salvation Army

Hambleton Food Share

Stockton & Billingham Foodbank

Ripon Community Church & Surrounding Areas

Whitby foodbank

Hartlepool foodbank

Whitby foodbank

The Homeless Cafe Middlesbrough

Blackpool Foodbank

Trussell Trust Ormskirk

Trussell Trust Southport

Wade Hall

St Peters Church Foodbank

The Grange

Fylde Food Bank

Trussell Trust St Helens – Hope centre

Foxton Centre

Albert Project

Rainbow Centre

Driffield Food Bank

Ryedale Food Bank

Groves Groceries

The Bay North Shields

Salvation Army

The Well West Auckland

Mid Cheshire Foodbank

Willaston Community farm

Flintshire foodbank

Mid Cheshire Foodbank

Bentham Foodbank

North Lakes Food Bank

Upper Eden Foodbank

Milnthorpe Area Foodbank

Upper Eden Trust/Appleby Church

Carlisle Food Bank

Salvation Army

Carlisle FoodBank

Widnes foodbank

Sefton foodbank

Warrington foodbank

 

To find out more, email tomas.garliauskas@jameshall.co.uk