Lidl has today (11 October) announced the launch of a new, nationwide toy donation drive coming to town this Christmas.
It follows new research, in partnership with Neighbourly, that found that for eight in 10 charities and community groups currently partnered with Lidl, toys and games were one of their most needed items to help serve their local communities over the festive period – second only to food donations.
From Thursday 3 November until Friday 16 December, Lidl will launch toy banks across its stores nationwide. Customers will be able to drop off new and unopened toys and games – both licensed and non-licensed – to be gifted to children that need support in their local area.
Donations can be anything – from a small stocking filler to something bigger. Sought-after items include toys, games, books, puzzles, plus arts and crafts, for a range of ages.
Toys will then be collected by local charities participating in Lidl’s ‘Feed it Back’ scheme, coordinated by Neighbourly, alongside the food they pick up weekly. They will then be donated via local charities and community groups such as food banks and community centres.
In addition, the supermarket has committed £250k for charities during the festive period – including a £125k donation for the toy bank initiative – and has also pledged to donate more meals than ever over the festive period.
“It has always been our firm belief that each and every one of our stores must have a positive impact on its community,” commented Ryan McDonnell, ceo at Lidl GB. “This year, we wanted to find a meaningful way to help these communities – and so we listened to the 1,500 local charities, food banks and community groups we partner with and heard clearly what they needed: food, toys, and access to funds.
“As a business we are proud to be able to address all three needs. We are launching toy banks in all our stores, pledging 1m meals and we will be making £250k available for charities through a Neighbourly donation and our community fund.
“Our hope is that by rolling out the toy donation points we are making it easier, for those customers who can, to donate directly to local good causes by giving them a small way to make a real difference and help those that need it the most.”
Steve Butterworth, ceo at Neighbourly, added: “Our latest community survey has highlighted the financial strain that many families are facing this winter. With local charities seeing a drop in both food and financial donations, any support that Lidl customers can give is going to be critical.
“For many families, Christmas gifts will be something they will struggle to afford, so a scheme like this which alleviates some of the worry for parents will make a huge difference.”
Charities, community groups and food banks can register interest now to receive surplus food and toy donations this Christmas at www.neighbourly.com/service/good-causes.
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