Aldi stores in Oxfordshire donated 11,000 meals to families in need during the recent summer school holidays.

All of its Oxfordshire stores supported local charities and foodbanks during a period of increased demand by redistributing surplus food via community giving platform, Neighbourly.

Ahead of the summer holidays, new research from Neighbourly found 78 per cent of the good causes it supports had seen demand for services increase in recent months, with 45 per cent noticing a decrease in donations.

Around four in five (79 per cent) expect the cost-of-living crisis will continue or worsen throughout the year, with organisations finding themselves unable to currently support an average of 45 people per week.

Since Aldi’s partnership with Neighbourly began in 2019, Aldi stores across the country have already donated more than 40 million meals.

Liz Fox, National Sustainability Director at Aldi UK, said: “We are so proud to work with such amazing charity partners across Oxfordshire and the work that they do can never be underestimated.

“Their services are needed more than ever during the summer holidays and we’re passionate about ensuring that fresh and healthy food is always accessible to those in need.”

Steve Butterworth, CEO at Neighbourly, added: “We’re grateful to have Aldi’s support once again this year during what is often one of the busiest periods for our charities. Large donations like Aldi’s allow us to provide vital support to communities across the country who would otherwise miss out.”

Shoppers can donate food to local charities, food banks and community groups via the community donation points in Aldi stores nationwide.

Britain’s fourth largest supermarket also works with Company Shop, the UK’s leading redistributor of surplus food and household products, to redistribute surplus food from its Regional Distribution Centres.