Edinburgh cost of living: Deliveroo customers provide 25,000 meals to food banks in the Capital

Since the partnership between Deliveroo and the Trussell Trust launched, thousands of customers in the Capital have helped provide meals to food banks by either rounding-up their in-app food orders or making a donation at check-out.

The nationwide partnership launched in April 2022 is aiming to provide two million meals and vital support for people facing hunger across the country, as part of the next phase of Deliveroo’s Full Life campaign.

The donations raised will help provide emergency food parcels that contain at least three days’ worth of nutritionally balanced meals, as well as practical support and advice to people who are facing hardship.

Some 25,000 meals have been donated by generous customers in Edinburgh to food banks in the Trussell Trust network, in the first four months of their partnership with Deliveroo.

The donations come as financial pressures continue to mount on families.

New research commissioned by Deliveroo reveals that 6% of parents in Edinburgh ‘regularly’ had to use a food bank during the school holidays over the past year to help them provide food for their family.

The research also shows that more than 1 in 10 (11%) parents in Edinburgh, interviewed at the start of July, said they were very likely to need to use a food bank in the following three months.

The Trussell Trust is a charity which supports a UK-wide network of over 1,300 food bank centres and works towards a more just future where no one needs emergency food to get by.

The partnership marks the first time Deliveroo in the UK has enabled a round-up feature on its app for customers to add a donation when they check-out their orders, with all proceeds going to food banks in the Trussell Trust network.

Deliveroo employees have also been volunteering at food banks across the country.

Carlo Mocci, Chief Business Officer UK & Ireland, Deliveroo, said: “Our partnership with the Trussell Trust is providing vital support for people facing hardship, and I want to thank all Deliveroo customers in Edinburgh who have donated so far, contributing to 25,000 meals to support food banks in the Trussell Trust network, and the people they’re supporting.

“Together with our consumers, we are committed to helping to tackle hunger in Edinburgh and across the UK.”

Danni Malone, director of network programmes and innovation at the Trussell Trust, said: “As the nation faces a rapid rise in the cost of living, people on the very lowest incomes are bearing the brunt of this crisis.

“Food banks are telling us that families across the country are having to make impossible decisions between putting food on the table or switching on the lights – and too many people are being left with no option but to use a food bank because their money simply won’t stretch.

“We are incredibly grateful to everyone who has generously donated to the Trussell Trust through Deliveroo’s in-app round-up function.

“These donations are helping our network provide emergency food and in-food bank support to thousands of people facing immediate hardship during this challenging period, while we work in the long term to build a future without the need for food banks.”