ALDI has announced its festive food donations scheme and is calling on charities and food banks in the area to register so that they can receive a free donation.

The supermarket giant is aiming to redistribute all surplus fresh food from its stores to local charities on Christmas Eve.

As part of the scheme, charities and food banks will be paired with stores and can collect products such as fruit, vegetables, fresh meat, fish and bread after the store closes at 6pm.

Fritz Walleczek, managing director of corporate responsibility, said: “We’re starting our festive donations scheme even earlier this year to give as many charities as possible the opportunity to apply.

“We want to give something back to the communities that we serve at such an important time of year. Last year we were able to reach thousands of people across the UK, and some charities were even able to prepare fresh meals that fed families well into the new year.”

Charities should contact Aldi’s corporate responsibility team at Christmas@aldi.co.uk before Sunday, November 18 with the following details to apply:

• Organisation name

• Charity number

• Organisation focus (e.g. soup kitchen, food bank)

• Contact details

  • The postcode of your nearest Aldi store 

You can find your nearest store by clicking here.