Member Article

Approved Food helps keep the cold at bay for charity sleep-out

Big-hearted retailer Approved Food is supporting the Huddersfield Town Foundation’s Big Sleep Out event with a donation of provisions.

The people who bedded down at the stadium on Friday night (March 6) stayed warm and kept hunger at bay thanks to donations of tea, coffee and other essential provisions from the Barnsley-based company. The business also donated breakfast items, biscuits and drinks to the foundation’s Junior Big Sleep Out in October last year.

Approved Food MD and Town fan Andy Needham took part in a previous sleep out and wanted to support the cause again.

The 2019 event raised £50,000 for charities including the Welcome Centre and the Mission, Huddersfield, One Big Family, Huddersfield Street Kitchen and the Food Bank and Care and Drop-in Centre, Batley. It is hoped this year’s sleep out at the John Smith Stadium will raise a significant amount for good causes and homeless charities in the area.

After this year’s event, community groups and charities will be invited to apply for a grant from the proceeds. Applicants must work with the homeless or those at risk of losing their home, including groups that support people with mental health issues, or who help those who need food parcels, clothing and a hot meal.

Andy said: “As a company, we are passionate about food redistribution and do all we can to ensure that food that may otherwise be wasted has a chance to end up on someone’s plate. We have made several donations to food banks and homeless charities and are delighted to support the brave individuals who will brave the cold on Friday night to raise money for these excellent causes.”

Lisa Bottomley, fundraising co-ordinator at the Town Foundation, added: “All money received from sponsors and donors for the Big Sleep Out is given back out into the local community. All costs are covered by the foundation and this is why generous donations from companies like Approved Food are greatly appreciated it does enable the foundation to continue to give help to those that need it the most.”

Approved Food is the UK’s biggest exclusively online retailer of surplus food and drink, specialising in products that would otherwise go to waste such as short-dated food and drink, cancelled orders, and products with changes in packaging design. The retailer also handles goods with obscure sizes or flavours, alongside everyday staples.

Over the years, other categories such as pet, alcohol, gifts and health and beauty have been added to the website which now carries over 5,500 active product lines, many on a “here today, gone tomorrow” basis.

Established over a decade ago, highlights include TV appearances on Dragons’ Den, Loose Women and Food Fighters. In May 2019, Approved Food was praised by the then Secretary of State for the Environment Michael Gove for its work to reduce food waste through awareness of the difference between use by and best before dates.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Kate Wobschall .