GROCERYAid has revealed it spent £4.7m over the last year, supporting 14,583 grocery colleagues who had fallen on hard times.
The industry charity’s first ever Impact Report, revealed that applications for support had risen by 22%, and 62% of those who received aid were of working age.
Financial aid was not the only area of increased activity for GroceryAid, with the charity providing 98% more telephone counselling sessions. GroceryAid’s Relate relationship service saw a threefold increase in demand and its Renovo return to work service saw an increase of 75%.
Steve Barnes, chief executive of GroceryAid said: “We know that any unforeseen event, such as illness, relationship breakdowns or redundancy can easily knock people into emotional and financial hardship.
“That is why I am so proud of the support we provide to colleagues who are working in and contributing to the industry today.
“Our one-off crisis grants have increased by 86% this year and as the industry goes through a once in a generation restructure we expect applications will continue to rise.”
