Six reasons we’re excited about our new partnership with Deliveroo

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By Penny Russell, New Partnerships Manager at the Trussell Trust

The food banks in our network gave out over 2.5 million emergency food parcels to people facing hardship last year. Nearly a million of these were given to children.  

Our new partnership with Deliveroo comes at the right time; as the cost of living continues to soar, the funds raised by the partnership will help the food banks in our network continue to provide the compassionate, practical support they do so well.  

 

How does the partnership help us work towards a future without the need for food banks? 

1. It’s going to make an impact where it is most needed

The funds raised will help local food banks in the Trussell Trust network provide support to hundreds of thousands of people facing hardship across the UK through vital grants and on the ground support. This will help support the provision of emergency food as well as help food banks to provide compassionate, practical support and advice to people who are struggling to make ends meet, so they can tackle the issues they’re facing and be supported to a place where they do not need to use a food bank again. The cost of living crisis is having an impact on all of us, but as food and energy prices soar and families across the UK are feeling the biggest squeeze on incomes in a generation, people who can least afford it are feeling it the most. 

2. Deliveroo customers share our vision

Research by YouGov showed that 90% of Deliveroo customers want to see a UK where food banks are no longer needed. We believe that everyone should be able to afford the essentials without having to turn to a charity for support – the fact that so many Deliveroo customers share our vision is very encouraging.  

 

3. It’s a brand new way for Deliveroo customers to donate to charity

This is the first time that customers in all four corners of the UK will be able to donate to a charity through a round-up function on the Deliveroo app. Customers will be able to simply round-up their bill when placing an order and help us work towards a better future. 

 

4. Deliveroo employees will be getting involved

The Deliveroo office teams will be taking part in a volunteering programme and sharing their expertise and knowledge, whilst learning about how food banks support people facing hardship and the work we do to address the issues that force
people to use food banks. This kind of collaborative work is so important when working towards a vision like the one we have!
 

5. We can learn from each other

Although the Trussell Trust and Deliveroo come from different backgrounds, there’s common ground and we have a shared desire to create a better future. Understanding our paths, and where we’ve come from, helps us work together to create a future where everyone has enough to afford the essentials. 

 

6. We can build understanding of hunger with new audiences

This partnership supports our work to build understanding and empathy of hunger and food bank need with new audiences. We hope to be able to evoke public will and create a movement for change to end the need for emergency food in communities right across the UK. 

 

“Everyone should be able to afford their own food, but as families face the biggest income squeeze in a generation, people are telling us they’re having to make impossible decisions between heating and eating and being forced to turn to food banks to feed themselves. Our new partnership with Deliveroo will help us support food banks to provide emergency food and in-food bank support to hundreds of thousands of people in immediate crisis, while we work towards our long-term vision of a future where nobody needs to turn to charity to get by. We’re incredibly grateful to Deliveroo and their customers for their support.” 

Emma Revie, chief executive at the Trussell Trust

 

We always consider all new partnership proposals very carefully to ensure they’re aligned with our organisational vision and priorities. We know that food bank need is driven by economic need – that is, not having enough money to afford to buy food after paying for essential bills. The benefits of forming new partnerships are multiple. Beyond raising funds and awareness, they enable us to have new conversations about the structural issues and drivers that are pushing people to need to use food banks.  

Like all new potential partnerships, the Deliveroo partnership has been subject to Trussell Trust’s robust due diligence process which includes a review of Deliveroo’s equal opportunities policies, statements, working conditions and fair treatment aspects. The Trussell Trust will proceed to carry out due diligence tests with Deliveroo every six months.

We are confident that the partnership with Deliveroo will help deliver our commitments as outlined in our five-year Together For Change strategy to support people in hardship and help food banks serve their communities. As families across the country face the biggest income squeeze in a generation and more people are sadly pushed deeper into poverty, this support will be vital.