Asda charity saves Christmas for Walsall community group

Asda and its charity, The Asda Foundation, is investing £2.4 million into local communities to spread festive cheer this Christmas and help those who are being impacted by the rising cost of the living.

The investment from the foundation is supporting more than 2,000 grassroots groups to continue their work in communities despite rising running costs.

Asda has also visited five community groups across the UK to give them an extra special surprise to help with events or makeovers that couldn’t happen due lack of funding, from winter wonderland parties to transforming community rooms.

One of the groups surprised was WASPS Community Group in Darlaston, which offers regular sessions that provide companionship and activities for the local elderly community.

The centre didn’t have any working cooking facilities and 76-year-old volunteer and group secretary Margaret Sadler had to hand-wash all the crockery.

Asda surprised the group by upgrading the kitchen with a new cooker, new dishwasher, new work surfaces, redecorating their community room and new carpets.

Margaret was preparing to put on a cold buffet for the group's Christmas party, but Asda stepped in and provided a chef to prepare and cook a hot three-course Christmas lunch.

In addition to the direct investment into communities, Asda has also invested in ‘in store’ initiatives to help customers and communities combat the rising cost of living. Its Kids Eat for £1 and OAP Winter Warmer Café £1 meal deal have hit a million meals served since June. The £1 cafe deals are averaging around 50,000 meals a week as 89 per cent of people say the rise in the cost of living is the biggest concern for them.

Community groups which may otherwise struggle to meet due to rising energy costs are also being invited to Asda cafes. Warm spaces have been made available on weekdays across November and December from 2pm to 6pm and all community group members who visit receive a free tea or coffee.

Mohsin Issa, Asda’s co-owner, said: “We have launched these initiatives to support our customers and communities this winter as we know it’s going to be incredibly hard for many people due to rising living costs. We have already served more than a million meals through our Kids Eat for £1 and Winter Warmers deals, and we hope that many more families and over 60s will visit in December to take advantage of these offers.

"On top of this, we’ve invested £2.4 million through Asda and the Cost-of-Living grant programme led by Asda’s charity, The Asda Foundation, who are support grassroots organisations providing a lifeline in their communities during these tough times."