Sainsbury’s has confirmed an £8 million boost to help struggling families this summer. The supermarket has teamed up with Comic Relief to tackle school holiday hunger, investing donations raised through the partnership.
More than two million children in the UK live in food-insecure households and miss out on Government-funded holiday provision due to the strict eligibility thresholds. Those who rely on free school meals during term time often go without consistent, nutritious meals during the summer holidays. To help out, Sainsbury’s is working to expand holiday club spaces, enabling it to bridge the gap between term-time and summer holiday provision by “guaranteeing children a healthy meal during the school holidays, alongside enriching activities and support”.
Niamh, whose children attended a holiday club funded by Sainsbury’s and Comic Relief, said: “When other families are looking forward to the sun or going away somewhere nice, my stomach sinks with this awful knot in it, knowing we are going to struggle. But this year, I knew that support was there, and it was such a relief.”
The funds will help create additional summer holiday club places for this summer until at least March 2029. The supermarket added that by the end of its new three-year commitment, it will have funded over 500,000 new holiday club places.
Ruth Cranston, director of sustainability at Sainsbury’s, said: “Too many children are at risk of going without the food they need during the school holidays – something we simply can’t ignore. We need continued, systemwide action to close the holiday hunger gap, so that no child goes hungry. That’s why we’re committing a significant investment into complementing the Government’s Holiday Activities and Food programme, so that more children access nutritious food when they need it most.
“It’s been incredible to see our colleagues rally behind this cause – taking on everything from personal challenges to team events right across the UK to raise vital funds for Comic Relief and the organisations working on the ground to tackle food insecurity.”
Sainsbury’s and Comic Relief’s partnership complements the HAF programme, which provides free holiday activities and meals during Easter, summer and Christmas school holidays.
The retailer, alongside Comic Relief, hopes to raise £30 million by 2030 to support UK organisations helping children and families access healthy food, including through holiday clubs, food clubs and after-school meals.
It is also calling for the Government to go further and close this “hunger gap” – by expanding the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme to cover all school holidays, including half-terms, and aligning eligibility with Free School Meals.
Sainsbury’s customers can donate to Comic Relief in-store, online, or by converting and donating Nectar points. The retailer will match all customer donations made to Comic Relief until July 31, 2026.
