Building on decades of partnership, we’ve launched a bold new ambition to raise £30 million for Comic Relief by 2030, doubling our impact to help us to reach a total of 120 million meals donated to children and families across the UK since 2022*.
The money raised through our partnership will be donated to 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.
No child or family should go hungry but today millions are. New research, commissioned in collaboration with Comic Relief, reveals that one in six parents say they have had to put their children to bed hungry or without enough food at least once a week in the last 12 months.
That’s why, together, we’ve launched Let’s Put Hunger to Bed - a campaign focused on surfacing the challenge that so many millions of families are facing, and how we must come together to change this.
At the heart of Let’s Put Hunger to Bed is a powerful new film, featuring a poem written by screenwriter and director Richard Curtis and voiced by Comic Relief supporter Jodie Whittaker. Inspired by the lived experiences of families across the UK and told from the perspective of a child, the poem subverts the familiar bedtime routine to surface the reality facing millions, where meals are skipped or scarce.
One of the parents who inspired the poem is Tracey, a mother of five who, despite working multiple jobs seven days a week, was unable to afford enough food and basic essentials due to rising living costs.
Tracey said: “It all began six years ago when I became a single parent to my children. I had one wage coming in and stretching to six of us in the household. I already had a full-time job, but I got a part-time job in the evening just to see me through. I couldn’t keep up with bills, I couldn’t keep up with food shopping, I started struggling.”
This meant that Tracey had to sacrifice her own meals so that her children could eat. “There would be days when I wouldn’t eat because I had to save so my children could eat proper meals. The hardest part is not being able to give your children the foods they need to flourish.”
Tracey shared how she would eat small bites of food that she was preparing for the kids to get by, or things like lemon curd sandwiches which took a toll on her wellbeing and on family life. Tracey said: “When we were going through that time of not eating properly, and not getting the nourishment that we all needed, I wouldn’t sleep properly. I was always up worrying what I could cook the next day.”
Tracey was introduced to The Bread and Butter Thing, an organisation that receives funding from Comic Relief and Sainsbury’s, by a customer at her part-time job. Operating out of local community hubs, they provide members with high-quality groceries, including fresh produce, chilled goods and pantry staples, at a fraction of the usual cost, helping people stretch their budgets and build financial resilience. She said: “When I signed up with The Bread and Butter Thing, it changed my life, it changed my kids’ lives. Now I eat at least three times a day. I can eat with my children. We can have our meals together.”
We’ve been working with Comic Relief for over 27 years and in that time, we’ve raised over £188 million for many different causes. Since 2022 we’ve been working together to support a wide range of brilliant organisations who work tirelessly to provide affordable food to people who need it most.
15 major organisations funded, supporting hundreds of local charities and projects
2.4m people supported
£26m raised between November 2022 and February 2026
60m meals donated
Hear from Comic Relief Co-founder and Honorary Life President Lenny Henry on the impact our partnership has had so far.
To find out more about the impact our donations have made to communities across the UK, you can read our impact report here:
We’re proud of the positive impact our work is having in communities across the UK.
However, food insecurity is a complex challenge, and we know we cannot solve this critical issue alone. Only by coming together, strengthening community networks and working collaboratively, will we create lasting change and work towards a future where every family has reliable access to good food, so that no child grows up hungry.
As part of the next phase of our partnership with Comic Relief, we are aiming to raise £30 million by the end of 2030, helping us double our impact so far, and to deliver 120 million meals for children and families facing hunger across the UK.
“No child should go to bed hungry, yet today this is the reality facing far too many families across the UK. Building on our decades-long partnership with Comic Relief, we’re setting a bold new ambition to change this by raising £30 million for Comic Relief by 2030, helping us to reach a total of 120 million meals donated to children and families across the UK since 2022.
Simon Roberts, Chief Executive
“No child should go to bed hungry, yet today this is the reality facing far too many families across the UK. Building on our decades-long partnership with Comic Relief, we’re setting a bold new ambition to change this by raising £30 million for Comic Relief by 2030, helping us to reach a total of 120 million meals donated to children and families across the UK since 2022.
“We’re stepping up our fundraising ambitions, and this summer we'll be matching every pound raised by our colleagues and customers – from our new colleague fundraising challenge to the in-store and online donations our customers can make when they shop with us. These vital funds will support Comic Relief to drive action across industry initiatives that will help improve children’s health, support families and make sure everyone has the support systems they need.
“Good food is something everyone should be able to access. We need to work harder than ever to make this a reality, which is why we are so determined that our partnership with Comic Relief helps to put childhood hunger to bed once and for all.”
The money raised through our partnership will be donated to organisations up and down the UK who are helping families and children access good food through food clubs, after-school dinners meals during the school holidays and more.
Building on donations we have made so far, we are kick-starting the next phase of our partnership with Comic Relief by pledging £7.5m of funding to support children with access to good food.
Supporting children in and around the school day
From the start of the new school term in September, we will be supporting school-based charity partners that add value around the school day – for example, by providing children with a healthy breakfast and food for families to take home through school pantries. Backed by £2 million in funding, these partnerships will help improve access to good food and nutrition all year round.
Supporting children during the school holidays
We’re also continuing our support for the government’s Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme through to March 2029. This includes an additional £5.5 million in funding to fund 240,000 additional holiday clubs places, ensuring more children can access free nutritious meals and enriching activities during the school holidays. This builds on three years of HAF funding that we have already donated to organisations.
Getting involved with our Comic Relief partnership
How our colleagues are getting involved
This summer, Sainsbury’s colleagues are coming together to make a difference through Move for Meals, our new fundraising challenge in partnership with Comic Relief. From running, walking and cycling to swimming, dancing and everything in between, colleagues will be taking on their own movement challenges to raise vital funds to ensure more families have access to good food. With thousands of colleagues across the UK getting involved, Move for Meals shows the power of collective action and the role we can all play in supporting communities and helping to tackle food insecurity.
How our customers can get involved
Customers will be invited to join our mission to donate 12 million meals this year in a big summer campaign running across Sainsbury’s and Argos over July. By donating to Comic Relief during their shop, customers will be making a direct impact on the lives of families in the UK and supporting our vision to ensure no child goes hungry. Customers can donate in Sainsbury’s stores via checkout or SmartShop, as well as online via groceries online or the Nectar app.
*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 the equivalent of 120 million meals by end of 2030. Since 2022, Sainsbury’s has donated the equivalent of 60 million meals as part of its partnership with Comic Relief, and is now aiming to double that amount to donate the equivalent of 120 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).
We’ve proudly partnered with Comic Relief for over 27 years, raising more than £188 million to support communities. Since 2022, our focus has been on tackling food insecurity in the UK.
This next phase builds on that progress, with a clear ambition to help create a UK where every family has access to good food, so no child goes hungry. We’re aiming to raise £30 million by 2030, helping deliver the equivalent of 120 million meals to children and families across the UK since 2022.
All funds raised are donated to Comic Relief to support organisations across the UK helping children and families access good food.
This includes initiatives like after-school meals, holiday clubs, food clubs and school pantries, as well as programmes that strengthen family resilience and improve access to nutritious food where it’s needed most.
Customers can donate to Comic Relief in store, online or via the Nectar app, helping fund support for families across the UK.
Colleagues are also getting involved through initiatives like Move for Meals, bringing people together to raise funds and drive collective action in tackling food insecurity.
