Charity - Neighbourhood Retailer

Bengal Brasserie in free Christmas dinners pledge

Joe Kearney — Mon, 24 Oct 2022 13:30:22 +0000

Belfast’s Bengal Brasserie on Belfast’s Ormeau Road marked its 33^rd birthday on Monday with a promise to provide Christmas dinners for up to 150 people caught up in the cost-of-living meltdown.

Restaurant owner, Luthfur Ahmed, said helping those less fortunate in the community was always something the Bengal Brasserie did during the festive season.

As well as confirming Christmas dinners, the restaurant is marking its birthday with a half-price offer all this week. All food items will be slashed by half until Saturday 29^th October.

Luthfur said: “We were unable to do our traditional Christmas dinners over the past two years because of the Covid pandemic but we did deliver to organisations looking after those most in need. We managed to get through that really difficult time only to be hit with this awful cost-of-living crisis.

“People are really struggling to make ends meet and my heart goes out to them. If we can help to ease the burden and bring some relief for them, then it will be all worthwhile.

“The Bengal Brasserie is part of the life and soul of the Ormeau Road and we’re looking forward to our birthday party when we will showcase some of the wonderful dishes our chefs will create for the occasion.

“Monday evening promises to be a great occasion when we can reflect on difficult times past and look forward to a brighter future for all our loyal customers.”

The post Bengal Brasserie in free Christmas dinners pledge first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.

SPAR manager Braves the Shave for Macmillan Cancer Support

Joe Kearney — Fri, 21 Oct 2022 15:33:00 +0000

Sharon Grimley, store manager at SPAR Jordanstown might look a little different to her shoppers after she got a new look, all in the name of charity.

Staff members got together to support Sharon as she took part in Brave the Shave – where she had all of her hair shaven off – for Macmillan Cancer Support. Sharon raised £3,422 for the organisation which provides care and services to families and individuals affected by cancer, including Sharon and her colleagues.

There was a great turn out from friends, families and customers, while local cake suppliers made generous donations of their bakes which could be enjoyed by shoppers in exchange for a donation to the team’s cause.

Sharon was overwhelmed with the amount of support she was shown; “The support from my team, our shoppers, families and friends has been incredible over the past few months, helping us raise money in the lead up to the big day.

“We chose to fundraise for Macmillan as mine, and our store charity representative, Leah Spratt’s, families have been directly impacted by cancer and we have seen first-hand the support that Macmillan give. They made my family feel supported, showing compassion and care throughout the diagnosis and always went the extra mile.”

Joanne Young from Macmillan Cancer Support commented, “This donation will go such a long way to help people affected by cancer all across the country and it is so appreciated by all at Macmillan. Braving the shave is not an easy thing to do and we want to extend a huge thank you to all the staff and shoppers for taking part and donating.”

To find out more about Macmillan Cancer Support, or if you think you could Brave the Shave, visit: https://www.macmillan.org.uk/

The post SPAR manager Braves the Shave for Macmillan Cancer Support first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.

SuperValu and Centra launch life-saving mammogram campaign

Linda Stewart — Tue, 04 Oct 2022 14:08:22 +0000

Leading food convenience retailers SuperValu and Centra are launching a new initiative to support their long-term charity partner Action Cancer, by encouraging shoppers to help sponsor a mammogram.

Each SuperValu and Centra store is aiming to raise at least £120, which is how much it costs Action Cancer to provide one free mammogram to women in Northern Ireland. Last year, the service provided 1,950 breast screenings to women aged 40-49 and over 70 years – outside of NHS screening age.

From Monday 10th to Friday 14^th October, staff at SuperValu and Centra stores across Northern Ireland will be armed with buckets collecting donations to raise funds for this life-saving service. Customers will also be able to donate at the tills using cash or card.

Desi Derby, Director of Marketing for SuperValu and Centra, said: “We have a long-standing partnership with Action Cancer and our amazing retailers, colleagues and customers have raised £3.5m to date to keep the Big Bus on the road. We’re proud to launch this new initiative and would encourage our customers to support this worthwhile cause in our stores and help save the life of a mum, granny, daughter, aunt, wife or friend.

“Our marketing campaign features 16 local women who have benefited from Action Cancer breast screening service, a testament to the importance of this vital service and the need for continued fundraising.”

Corporate Fundraising Manager for Action Cancer, Lucy McCusker, added: “We’re delighted to continue our partnership with SuperValu and Centra with the launch of this new initiative.

“Our breast screening service detects approximately six cancers in every 1,000 women screened, and with the support of our partners SuperValu and Centra, we can continue to provide these life-saving screenings. Each mammogram, while free to the client, costs Action Cancer £120, so every penny raised could help save the life of a woman close to you.”

Bridie Treanor from Roslea in County Fermanagh, and a mum to six children and granny to four grandchildren, attended Action Cancer’s Big Bus for a breast screening when it visited SuperValu Newtownbutler in 2019. As Bridie was outside the age bracket for NHS screening, it was this appointment that detected her cancer. Bridie underwent successful surgery and treatment and is now cancer free.

Bridie said: “I am so thankful to Action Cancer’s Big Bus for saving my life and I can look forward to celebrating future birthdays and watching my family grow up. I never would have travelled all the way up to Belfast to attend a routine screening so I’m grateful that women like me can access this vital service in their own communities. Please support this wonderful charity in whatever way you can.”

Caption: Bridie Treanor from Roslea in County Fermanagh with her daughter Joanne.

The post SuperValu and Centra launch life-saving mammogram campaign first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.

Supermarket push to cut waste hits food bank donations

Linda Stewart — Tue, 04 Oct 2022 09:24:06 +0000

Food waste charity Fareshare says it has seen a drop of around 200 tonnes in supermarket surplus donations every month this summer.

The charity said the reduction had come at the same time as demand for the services they support surged.

Fareshare redistributes food waste to smaller charitable and community projects across the UK.

It said there was less waste food due to a combination of ongoing global food production and supply chain issues.

At the same time, supermarkets are striving to be more efficient and waste less, in order to keep prices for their customers low.

Carl Hawkes, head of network at the charity, explained that donations from supermarket warehouses were particularly valuable.

“If you’re a community group trying to make a meal, out of say, beetroot, that’s really hard,” he said.

“Whereas the retail food is very mixed. It’s much easier for our charities and beneficiaries to make meals out of what they send.”

The charity is at pains to explain they have no problem with supermarkets wasting less – but it poses a challenge for them to continue to support so many charities that depend on waste food.

“Supermarkets at the moment are more willing to sell wonky fruit and veg than they may previously have done, or to sell food with slightly less shelf life on it – and that food would have traditionally have come to us,” he explained.

As well as writing to supermarkets, the charity is casting its net wider, looking into food waste opportunities from British farming and working with a more diverse mix of smaller food manufacturers, hotels and restaurants.

One is Fullers, which makes frozen chips and vegetable products that most major retailers stock under its own brand.

The business has started donating spare stock from its warehouses, as well as the prototype and test food from head office to Fareshare.

The post Supermarket push to cut waste hits food bank donations first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.

Musgrave NI to donate 50p to charity from every cup of Frank and Honest Coffee

Linda Stewart — Mon, 26 Sep 2022 08:48:40 +0000

Staff from SuperValu, Centra and MACE stores across Northern Ireland are encouraging customers to ‘Espresso they care’ and celebrate International Coffee Day (Saturday, 1 October) at their local store while helping to raise much needed funds for local charities Action Cancer and Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke.

From Thursday, 29 September to Saturday, 1 October, each purchase of a Frank and Honest coffee in participating SuperValu, Centra and MACE stores will see 50p going straight to the charities to help them continue to provide vital community services.

Last year the initiative raised an incredible £22,000 and this year the brands are hoping to smash that total and raise even more funds, which will help keep Action Cancer’s mobile clinic, The Big Bus, on the road and enable NI Chest Heart & Stroke to continue to deliver care services and health promotion programmes to thousands of people living with, or at risk of developing chest, heart, and stroke conditions.

Discussing the charity fundraising drive, Desi Derby, Marketing Director at Musgrave NI said: “Our charity partners make a real difference to the lives of people across Northern Ireland, and we are delighted to launch this coffee fundraising initiative, which was a resounding success last year. We are sure that with the help and support of our customers purchasing a Frank and Honest coffee in their local store that we will once again raise much needed funds for Action Cancer and Northern Ireland Chest Heart and Stroke.”

SuperValu and Centra have been partnering with Action Cancer since 2001 and to date have raised £3.5 million for the charity.

Thanking SuperValu and Centra and their customers for their ongoing support Gareth Kirk, CEO of Action Cancer said: “The support provided by the customers and staff of SuperValu and Centra for Action Cancer is truly magnificent. For over 21 years the income raised for Action Cancer has ensured the former and current BIG BUS have been able to deliver their unique onboard lifesaving breast screening service and health checks to local communities throughout Northern Ireland.

“Without the commitment and support of SuperValu and Centra this would simply not have happened, for many women their breast cancers wouldn’t have been detected early and for some the outcome would have been very different.

“Please support this wonderful initiative by purchasing a Frank and Honest coffee and in doing so you will not only enjoy lovely coffee but will also be helping Action Cancer to save the lives of local people.”

MACE has enjoyed a partnership with Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke since 2016 and has so far raised over £245,000 for the charity.

Declan Cunnane, CEO of NI Chest Heart & Stroke added: “We deliver vital care and prevention services across Northern Ireland, as well as carrying out extensive research into how to prevent chest, heart and stroke illnesses.

“Last year we supported 16,936 people and organisations, however, almost 90% of our services are funded by public donations. We very much appreciate the support of Mace customers whose generosity will enable us to help more local people living with these conditions and their families.”

Starting at £2.65 for a Frank and Honest coffee, 50p from the sale of each coffee will be donated to the charities over the three-day period.

The post Musgrave NI to donate 50p to charity from every cup of Frank and Honest Coffee first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.