Sainsbury's has announced an £8 million boost to support struggling families during the summer holidays. The supermarket is partnering with Comic Relief to fund additional holiday club spaces, addressing the issue of school holiday hunger. The funds will help create summer holiday club places through at least March 2029, with the retailer aiming to fund over 500,000 new holiday club places by the end of its three-year commitment.
Partnership with Comic Relief
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 strict eligibility thresholds. Those who rely on free school meals during term time often go without consistent, nutritious meals during the summer holidays.
Expanding Holiday Club Spaces
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."
Call for Government Action
Sainsbury's is calling on the Government to expand the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme to cover all school holidays, including half-terms, and to align eligibility with Free School Meals. 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."
Fundraising and Donations
The partnership between Sainsbury's and Comic Relief aims 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. Customers can donate to Comic Relief in-store, online, or by converting and donating Nectar points. Sainsbury's will match all customer donations made to Comic Relief until July 31, 2026. Cranston added: "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."
