GroceryAid said it has spent more than £6 million last year providing emotional, practical and financial support to grocery workers.
Releasing its annual Impact Report for the period from April 2023 to March 2024, the specialist charity added that the demand for emotional, practical and financial support has almost doubled.
The charity assisted with more than 78,000 incidents of support, providing everything from relationship counselling to debt advice and financial assistance. This represents a 93 per cent increase compared to the previous year.
The upturn in support has been fueled by a myriad of challenges, including the cost-of-living crisis and the continued impact of Covid 19, it noted.
In the twelve-month period, there was a 22 per cent increase in the number of people who called GroceryAid’s free and confidential Helpline which provides emotional and practical support. Just like all the Charity’s services, the Helpline is available to people working across every area of the grocery industry, from supermarkets, independents and wholesalers to manufacturing, distribution and support functions.
GroceryAid awarded 57 per cent more financial grants in 2023/24 than in the year before. This includes almost 6,000 grants awarded to families to help pay for school essentials such as uniforms and equipment, and a 44 per cent increase in grants to support those leaving domestic abuse situations.
As well as providing financial grants, GroceryAid provides colleagues with information to help them manage their finances. Last year, the Charity issued more than 5,000 Personal Action Plans containing advice and services on budgeting and planning to emotional and practical support. 4,500 people also used GroceryAid’s free online budget calculator.
Demand for emotional support is equally high. Colleagues accessed GroceryAid’s online wellbeing platform more than 1,500 times last year and there was a 25 per cent year-on-year increase in family and relationship counselling delivered in partnership with Relate, the UK’s largest provider of individual and couples therapy.
Other services growing in need include legal advice (48 per cent increase), and gambling support (108% increase).
“We serve those in the grocery industry who serve us,” said Kieran Hemsworth, chief executive of GroceryAid. “The people on the frontline and those behind the scenes who work so hard but may be struggling for a number of reasons.
“As a charity, we have been supporting people since 1857 but over the last few years, the need for our services has increased. We recognise how essential grocery workers are, but they say they often feel stressed. We’re here to give them the support they deserve and in 2023/24 we supported more colleagues than ever before through innovative programmes and strategic partnerships.”
Last year, the charity organised 13 fundraising events which were attended by more than 15,700 grocery colleagues, providing unique networking and brand activation opportunities. The charity is also supported by over 500 organisations in the grocery industry.
Hemsworth continued: “Building on our 23/24 impact, we continue to be here for grocery workers when and how they need us – whether that’s financial, emotional or practical support. There are about 2.6m workers in grocery, so we still have a long way to go to reach more people who are struggling. To do this we need businesses to spread the word about GroceryAid and continue to support us so that we can match the increase in demand.”
GroceryAid’s free and confidential Helpline is available 24/7 to all grocery colleagues and their spouse/partner and dependents over 18. For immediate emotional support, call 08088 021 122 or visit groceryaid.org.uk for more information.
