Lidlsourcedover €2mofagri-food fromCoWicklow

LIDL sourced over €2 million worth of agri-food produce from County Wicklow last year and contributed €18,000 to local charities and community groups.

This is according to the supermarket’s 2018 IMPACT report, a study of the positive impact Lidl is having on the communities it serves throughout Ireland.

The study, which follows an economic report commissioned in recent years to quantify the contribution Lidl makes to the Irish economy, goes beyond the economic statistics to identify the additional impact Lidl is having locally in the context of its commitment to its Corporate Social Responsibility programme, A Better Tomorrow.

The report also found that there are over 80 people employed directly in four Wicklow stores.

Six thousand meals were donated through a nationwide initiative with FoodCloud to distribute surplus food to worthwhile causes that would otherwise go to waste.

Six charities and community groups working with Lidl and FoodCloud were supported in the county, benefiting from €8,000 in-kind donations to FoodCloud

Ten thousand euro was raised for Jigsaw, Lidl’s charity partner, which provides mental health services to young people.

Four local Ladies Gaelic Football clubs benefiting from jerseys or other equipment under the Ladies Gaelic Football partnership.

Lidl’s work with FoodCloud goes beyond the donation of meals and in-kind donations as it has reduced almost 2,750 kilos of food that otherwise would have been diverted to landfill which has an additional benefit to the environment of saving almost 8,500 kilos in CO2 emissions.

Commenting on the study JP Scally, Managing Director, Lidl Ireland said: ‘In recent years we commissioned an independent economic report to assess the contribution Lidl had made to Ireland’s economy which found that Lidl supports thousands of indirect jobs throughout Ireland in the agri-food sector based on the €700m food and drink we purchase every year from hundreds of Irish suppliers. However, we believe our contribution goes much deeper than that in the impact it has on communities – everything from our sustainable energy initiatives to the money raised for local good causes and from the benefits of the Jigsaw and LGFA partnerships to the number of meals donated to FoodCloud. This IMPACT report is a further initiative which highlights the ongoing contribution Lidl makes both large and small in every community where we operate. The individual efforts of our stores and teams across the country has made a real impact collectively with over 500,000 FoodCloud meals donated worth €700,000 and over €400,000 raised for Jigsaw nationwide.’

Lidl’s four stores in County Wicklow are located on the Rathnew road in Wicklow town, the Wexford road in Arklow, and on the Dublin road in both Bray and Greystones.