Report shows 50% increase in financial grants awarded to grocery colleagues
There was a 108% increase in colleagues accessing support for problem gambling, and over 1,500+ colleagues accessed online self-help and CBT guided sessions, according to the latest GroceryAid report.
In the annual GroceryAid Impact Report, President Allan Leighton said that the charity had experienced a 93% increase in requests for support from colleagues, with over 78,000 incidents of support throughout the year.
Additionally, there was a 57% increase in the number of financial grants GroceryAid awarded to colleagues last year.
The industry charity is over 160 years hold and provides financial, emotional and practical support to colleagues throughout the grocery industry, describing it as their mission to provide essential support and resources to those working tirelessly within this sector.
It supports people who work or have worked in grocery – this includes anyone who works for a supermarket, wholesaler, manufacturer, supplier, convenience store, independent grocer, petrol forecourt store or service provider to the grocery industry. They also support businesses in the foodservice wholesale sector.
Their financial grants support continues to be a pivotal part of their work, with more than 22,000 colleagues visiting their cost-of-living webpage in 2023-2024. The housing crisis is affecting household incomes with colleagues spending a higher proportion of their income on rents and mortgages. Subsequently, their grants have allowed many colleagues to remain in their homes. Additionally, there was a 44% rise in grants awarded to support those leaving domestic abuse situations.
Their School Essentials Grant meant that 5926 children benefited from a £150 grant, helping families ensure they started school in September with new uniform and equipment.
GroceryAid’s partnership with Relate provides free and confidential counselling sessions for colleagues. Last year, they introduced counselling for children aged 5 to 11, who are accompanied by an adult, while there was also a 25% increase in family and relationship counselling.
Independent retailers and their employees are also able to access all of GroceryAid’s free and confidential services and this year, they supported 650 independent retailers with financial grants, with £364,306 awarded in financial grants.
In terms of practical support, the GroceryAid Helpline is available to provide legal and practical support. Research has shown that while legal advice is something colleagues needed, they are not often sure where to find it. Last year, saw a 48% increase in demand for this service, with one in three cases related to family law.
Incidents of practical support through its Telephone Information Specialists (TIS) also increased by 27% last year, with financial advice the most common request.
You can read the full report here: https://www.groceryaid.org.uk/our-impact-2023-24/
