Tesco to provide fruit and veg packages in Offaly DEIS schools

Tesco Ireland announced a new pilot programme 'Stronger Starts' that will give thousands of meals to feed children and families across Ireland last week.

'Stronger Starts', in partnership with the Good Grub Initiative, will provide 1,000 families per week with free nutritious food packages containing potatoes, carrots, onions, and apples, to support them in preparing healthy meals at home.

Good Grub is a not-for-profit initiative that has, since the start of the Covid pandemic, delivered nutritious fruit & veg parcels directly to the families of a number of DEIS school children around Ireland. During the pilot, home school community liaison officers in over 40 DEIS schools will identify families who may need supplemental support at home this winter.

Tesco began partnering with the Good Grub Initiative as a pilot programme in November 2021 and the pilot campaign which will run until February will see Tesco provide the equivalent of over 120,000 thousand meals to families most in need in communities around Ireland.

As part of the campaign, Tesco has teamed up with GAA star Philly McMahon and Local Hero Katie to launch the campaign. Tesco will also release a compelling video content series to demonstrate how healthy and nutritious food is the best ingredient in any recipe.

Speaking about swapping his Dublin jersey for a different type of All Ireland campaign, Philly McMahon said that giving back to his community has always been a top priority for him, “I’m delighted to support Tesco on this initiative to give back to local communities all over Ireland. I’ve seen first-hand how giving children and their families a strong start can make a positive difference in their lives and the lives of others.”

The new partnership with Tesco has been warmly welcomed by the Good Grub Initiative co-founder, Denis O’Reilly who said it would help their work in supplying food to many families around the country. He said: “We’re delighted that Tesco has come on board to help us provide nutritious packs of healthy food going into the homes that need them, complementing the Government and food provision programmes already in place in schools. This will make a huge difference to so many people that have been affected by increased food insecurity because of the pandemic.”

Kari Daniels, Tesco Ireland, CEO, said: “Through our Tesco stores nationwide we wanted to help children and their families who need it to have access to healthy and nutritious food and help them have a stronger start in life. We are delighted to partner with the team at the Good Grub Initiative on the Stronger Starts programme to do this and we hope together we can make a real difference.”

‘Stronger Starts’ is the latest community support programme from Tesco, all of which are helping to build thriving communities across Ireland. Tesco Ireland was the first national retail partner of FoodCloud in 2014, and working with them has, to date, redistributed the equivalent of 15 million meals to nearly 400 charitable groups in communities all over Ireland – from breakfast clubs, to Meals on Wheels to community kitchens and food banks.

Once the pilot is complete in February, Tesco and the Good Grub Initiative will review and refine the programme with the aim of reaching more children and families across Ireland.