Corporate social responsibility (CSR) should be a core pillar of your forward-thinking business strategy. Your consumers, clients and teams want to align themselves with organisations that actively give back and care about their local community. Investing in that community is one of the most powerful ways to build trust, boost team morale, and make a tangible difference where it matters most.
One of the most worthwhile ways to provide local support is helping to prevent child food poverty. In England alone, over 2 million children in 2024/25 were eligible for free school meals during term time. However, gaps remain, particularly during school holidays, when families who sit just above the threshold struggle to put food on the table, and children go hungry.
By building a CSR campaign around supporting free school meals, school breakfast clubs and local food banks, your business can step up to bridge those gaps, ensuring the next generation has the food they need to learn, grow and thrive.
Why local CSR matters for your business
When your business engages in local CSR initiatives, the benefits extend far beyond good promotion for your business. Supporting a grassroots community delivers distinct commercial and cultural advantages:
Drives colleague engagement
Colleagues feel a deep sense of pride working for a company that supports vulnerable groups in their own neighbourhoods. Giving back fosters team cohesion and improves talent retention.
Strengthens local brand reputation
Consumers often prefer to buy from businesses that demonstrate social accountability. Supporting local schools and food banks builds long-term goodwill and positive word-of-mouth.
Fulfils social value commitments
For businesses bidding on public sector or corporate contracts, having a proven track record of localised social impact is a competitive advantage.
Ideas to support free school meals and breakfast clubs
If your organisation is looking for practical, high-impact ways to roll out a community-focused CSR campaign, consider these initiatives:
1. Gift Asda gift cards to school breakfast clubs
A hungry child cannot focus on learning. School breakfast clubs provide a welcoming environment where children can receive a nutritious meal before the school day begins, but these clubs frequently face tight budgetary constraints.
By gifting Asda Gift Cards or Asda Corporate eVouchers directly to local primary and secondary schools, you empower them to purchase fresh fruit, bread, cereals, and milk directly from their local Asda store or via online delivery. It is a direct, efficient way to keep breakfast club shelves stocked with exactly what the children need.
2. Partner with local food banks
Food banks play a vital role in supporting families who rely on free school meals, especially during the weekend and school holidays when school kitchens are closed. Organising a corporate donation drive or purchasing Asda Gift Cards for local food banks allows volunteers to buy essential groceries, nappies, and hygiene products to distribute to families in immediate financial hardship.
3. Paid volunteer days for staff
Take your CSR strategy a step further by offering your team paid volunteer hours. Whether it’s volunteering to help prepare food at a local school breakfast club, packing crates at a community food bank, or delivering meals to vulnerable families, hands-on community engagement creates unforgettable team-building experiences.