The Co-op has announced that this Easter they won’t be airing any television ads, instead opting to donate the airtime to food charity FareShare.
The campaign would have cost £2.5m, and would have promoted chocolate, however, the retailer has instead used the time to encourage people to support food banks.
Jo Whifield, Retail CEO, Co-op explains: “In these times of national crisis, foodbanks are a lifeline for those who rely on the donations to feed their families. Demand for foodbank services has already gone up in the past couple of weeks, and this is only set to grow as the number of people who unexpectedly find themselves without a regular or reduced income, increases.
“Every day we are seeing outstanding acts of kindness as communities pull together to support those who are struggling, and our amazing Co-op members and customers tell us they want to help to support their communities and do right by those in greatest need. I’m delighted we can make it easy for them to donate what they can to help FareShare and its very own band of local heroes. If we all co-operate together, we can make a huge difference.”
“As we face up to the coronavirus crisis, we’re determined to do everything we can to continue getting food to those who are most vulnerable. The money raised by generous Co-op customers will enable FareShare to provide emergency food supplies to frontline charities in communities across the UK. We are extremely grateful for Co-op’s support at this incredibly challenging time,” added Lindsey Boswell, CEO FareShare.
