Sainsbury’s and Comic Relief
For over 27 years, Sainsbury’s and Comic Relief have worked side by side to support communities across the UK.
Together, we’ve helped millions of families access the good food, support and opportunities they need to build happier, healthier lives.
As we build on our incredible partnership, Sainsbury’s is on a mission to raise £30 million for Comic Relief by the end of 2030, doubling our impact and helping us to reach a total of 120 million meals donated to children and families across the UK since 2022*.
This year, our mission is to raise enough to fund 12 million meals*, supporting organisations up and down the UK who are helping children and families access good food through food clubs, after-school dinners, meals during the school holidays, and more.
That’s why until 31st July, for every donation made to Comic Relief instore, online and via Nectar, Sainsbury’s will double it. Just £3 could provide a child with a healthy, home-cooked meal.
The Bread and Butter Thing
Providing vital support for low-income families through their 150 food clubs, The Bread and Butter Thing run from local community hubs across the North of England. By redistributing surplus food, they enable families to access nutritious food and essentials at more affordable prices.
“Working in a school, you know that your job is never done. School never stops.”
Helen is a maths teacher at Hillside High School, and she is also both a volunteer and a paying member of The Bread and Butter Thing, an organisation supported by the Sainsbury’s and Comic Relief partnership.
Helen has committed herself to being more than just a teacher, and the school to being more than just a place where children come to learn. “There's a misconception with schools that we're only here to teach children our subjects, and that's just not the case. A school like Hillside is very much a community. We are here to make sure that our children are well provided for, well cared for in every sense.” Helen cares deeply about the children, their families and the wider community.
Noticing the impact that the rising cost of living was having on the community around them, Helen and her colleagues at Hillside wanted to do something to help. Helen explains, “A lot of our families are working families but in the current climate they're finding it really hard to make ends meet. We know that being able to give our children a good breakfast, making sure that they've got a nutritious lunch, and making sure that they go home to a good evening meal is absolutely essential, because without good quality fuel, our children can't function.”
“We'd heard about a food club that was running at a school in Manchester, and we went to see it and we were amazed at how good it was and how responsive the members there were, and we decided that we wanted to set one up of our own at our school.”
Hillside High School now serves as a Bread and Butter Thing food club, providing a nutritious weekly food shop every Wednesday for both school families and the wider community at low cost. “Our families pay £8.50 and that's for 1 week and they get 3 full bags of food - a fridge bag, a store cupboard bag, and a fruit and veg bag. It is enough to feed the family for the week. It gives our families breathing space and you can see it in their faces, they do leave lighter.”
Helen also explains that this is not a food bank, but a food club where members pay a contribution, helping to reduce any shame or stigma people may feel. “There's a level of pride that people feel knowing you've been able to provide for your family.”
“The schools food club takes the pressure off our families. It gives our families access to really good quality nutritious food.”
Helen is both a volunteer at the school’s food club, and a member herself. As a single mum and working parent, Helen has also experienced the challenge of feeding a family on one income. “There's only one wage in my household, and trying to bring up a family when there's only one wage in the current climate is tough. And I want the best for my children, I want to be able to feed them well, I want them to have access to good nutritious food. The food club gives me that.”
The food club at Hillside High School provides more than just food. It helps ease some of the financial pressures families may be facing, while also bringing the community together. “What makes the food club work is our community, it's our volunteers, it is our families, and it is our neighbours all showing up. And that's what I love about this place, everybody benefits, especially our children.”
For Helen, this is just another part of what it means to be part of the school. Her role in the school does not end when lessons finish. “We're much more than these children's school. We're part of their extended family. Through the food club, we put food on their table. We are part of their community, and they are very much the heart of ours.”
Our programme purpose
‘Food insecurity’ is when people are forced to go without food or cut back on the quality or quantity they eat, because they can’t afford it.
Our aim is to help end child and family hunger, ensuring families have the stability, resources and dignity they need to thrive. We will do this by supporting community-led organisations, with the aim to:
Improve children and families’ health and wellbeing through access to good, nutritious food
Strengthen family resilience to crisis and hardship through wraparound support
Support longer-term change by bringing together communities, funders and decision-makers, and by advocating for policies that better support families.
This programme recognises that child food insecurity does not exist in isolation. Families are affected by wider pressures such as low income, insecure housing and rising living costs. Alongside practical support, the programme aims to improve the systems and policies that shape families’ lives.
Reports & Publications
Here you can find our recent research publications, learning reports and insights. To read other reports, visit our dedicated page here.
Participatory evaluation of food clubs funded through the Nourish the Nation programme
This evaluation report by Tavistock Institute of Human Relations assesses the delivery and impact of food clubs, funded by Sainsbury’s and Comic Relief. Using participatory principles, the evaluation explores the effectiveness of differing food club models in addressing food insecurity, the outcomes for individuals and communities, and key learnings for scaling dignified, preventative approaches.
Executive summary of the participatory evaluation of food clubs
This executive summary presents the key findings from an evaluation by the Tavistock Institute of Human Relations of food clubs, funded by Sainsbury’s and Comic Relief. It assesses the effectiveness of the food club model in addressing food insecurity and helping people to live healthier and more stable lives.
Building Resilience: The Role of Food Clubs in UK Food Security
In this report, Dr Megan K Blake (University of Sheffield) presents the first large-scale, independent analysis of the affordable food club model, examining its role in strengthening UK food security. The report was commissioned as part of the Nourish the Nation programme that is co-funded with Sainsbury’s.
Nourish the Nation 2022-2026 Impact Report
The impact report provides an overview of the work from 2022 to 2026 on the Nourish the Nation programme that is co-funded with Sainsbury’s. The programme aims to tackle food insecurity in the UK, through funding affordable food clubs, providing good food for children, and supporting food redistribution partners.
Snapshot Report – Food Insecurity Scoping Review
This report distils the core findings of an independent scoping review of the UK food insecurity sector conducted by Nick Hopkins, commissioned by Comic Relief as part of the Nourish the Nation programme co-funded with Sainsbury’s.
*Sainsbury’s will match all donations made to Comic Relief instore and online between 1 July and 31 August 2026. Matching applies to monetary donations only. Donations will go to support our ambition to donate £6 million to Comic Relief this year which is the equivalent of 12 million meals to be distributed by Comic Relief’s funded partners. Comic Relief is a registered charity in England & Wales (no. 326568) and Scotland (SC039730). For more information on our partnership visit www.sainsburys.co.uk/comicrelief(opens in new window).