- John Lewis Partnership supports 1,170 care experienced people with 3,510 food parcels to support them until New Year
- Food parcels will be given to Care Leavers attending community Christmas day lunches, who would’ve otherwise been alone
- OBE Lemn Sissay’s Foundation, The Gold From The Stone, assists communities with arranging Christmas lunches for Care Leavers
For the second year running, the John Lewis Partnership will be supporting Care Leavers attending Christmas day lunches, by giving out 3,510 food parcels to continue helping them after Christmas. The lunches are run by selfless community volunteers across the country for Care Leavers who would have otherwise been alone at Christmas, and are coordinated by Lemn Sissay’s Foundation, The Gold From The Stone.
Sarah Dayananda, Sustainability & Ethics Manager, Social Impact, said,
“We’re delighted to be working again with The Gold From The Stone Foundation, and the wonderful volunteers who organise Christmas lunches for Care Leavers. Support is needed beyond the ‘big day’, so we hope that the Care Leavers feel appreciated and considered in a time of isolation for many.”
This year, we’re donating 3 bespoke food parcels each to 1,170 people, so that they have some necessary shopping to last them past Christmas and into the New Year (as well as some treats). They’ll contain items such as tea and coffee, soup, sweet and savoury biscuits, mince pies, pasta and pasta sauce, chocolate and crisps.
The Foundation, founded by Author, Poet and Broadcaster Lemn Sissay OBE, believes that no Care Leaver should feel alone on Christmas day. They help to coordinate communities across the nation making Christmas day special for people who would otherwise be alone.
Lemn Sissay, OBE and founder of The Gold From The Stone Foundation, said,
“The Christmas Dinners are for young adults who have been in care who feel alone on Christmas Day. I am over the moon that Waitrose and John Lewis Partners are supporting The Christmas Dinners throughout the country. Waitrose are providing incredible Christmas Hampers filled with goodies for the young care leavers to take home after the Christmas Dinner. This support is crucial in winter time. It means the care goes beyond the dinner into the homes of vulnerable young people. It is the tenth year of The Christmas Dinners and your support is a Christmas present in itself. I feel emotional. The Christmas Hampers from Waitrose and John lewis are immensely important to everyone involved and brings added magic to the day. I know the hampers are not for me but as the person who started this enterprise this feels like my first Christmas present.”
A further 600 food parcels will be given to 200 Care Experienced guests at Christmas day lunches hosted by Who Cares? Scotland - one of the John Lewis Partnership’s charity partners, for our Building Happier Futures programme.
Notes to Editor:
Other ways to contribute to good causes while shopping at John Lewis and Waitrose this festive season:
- We’re donating £100k of sales from our Waitrose Christmas Chocolate Yule log to Building Happier Futures.
- All John Lewis charity Christmas cards, also sold in Waitrose, are contributing a £200,000 donation, split equally between John Lewis Foundation, WWF and the Trussell Trust.
- The John Lewis Christmas Cottage Felt Teapot and Mug Charity Tree Decoration - these come with a 25% Charity donation to the Trussell trust
- John Lewis Beyond Christmas Shooting Star Charity Bauble - these will see a 25% Charity donation to the John Lewis Foundation
- The John Lewis 100 Years Bear and John Lewis Christmas 2023 Lewis Bear - we will donate 25% of the retail price of each bear sold to Action for Children, HomeStart UK and Who Cares? Scotland
- We’re delighted to stock the new, educational Children’s book ‘Little Chick Has Lunch on the Moon’ in Waitrose, written by award winning Midlands author, Alison Delaney, who was adopted at 3 months old. 25% of proceeds from sales of the book will be donated to further supporting the Building Happier Futures Programme.
