Aldi has announced it will be donating more than one million meals to children in need throughout the summer holidays in support of UK charities.

The supermarket chain will be teaming up with local charities, community groups and food banks to donate surplus food with more than 700,000 meals going to causes that support vulnerable children.

The donation is part of Aldi’s commitment to donate 10 million meals across the country in 2021, in partnership with community giving platform Neighbourly.

Mary Dunn, Managing Director of Corporate Responsibility at Aldi UK, said: “We’re proud to be supporting so many incredible causes up and down the country, helping them to donate meals to those in need this summer.

“The school holidays can be a hard time for families, particularly when many are experiencing heightened financial hardship due to the pandemic, and this is why we are committed to doing what we can to donate more meals than ever before.”

Steve Butterworth, from Neighbourly, added: “The summer school holidays are always one of the busiest times for the nation’s charities and food banks, but this year we’re expecting things to be even busier. Aldi’s donations have never been more of a vital support to these organisations.”

Aldi stores across the country work with Neighbourly to partner with local charities, who can collect surplus food and perishable products, such as fruit, vegetables and baked goods, up to seven days a week.

The German retailer operated stores throughout the UK and has previously partnered with Manchester United and England star, Marcus Rashford to highlight child poverty.

To help tackle the problem, Aldi have pledged to donate 10 million meals to disadvantaged families in 2021.

And in order to raise further awareness of the issue and encourage people to help tackle it, the UK’s fifth-largest supermarket has released a heart-wrenching animation that “personifies hunger through a child’s eyes”.

The poignant film saw a young child’s relationship with ‘hunger’ in a poem by Giles Andreae. 

Rashford narrated the emotional poem, whilst celebrated illustrator Lisa Stickley brings the story to life through the accompanying animation.