Nando's launches food donation and employment programme
The initiative will see Nando’s restaurants across London, Birmingham, the North East and East Midlands serving up free meals once a week to vulnerable young people and their families.
It has pledged to donate more than 15,000 meals under the scheme by the end of the trial period
According to the piri piri chicken-focused restautant chain, the aim of the initiative is to help with both the immediate need by offering free meals, and also address a long-term impact on the lives of disadvantaged young people through supporting their futures with employment opportunities.
Over the last three years, Nando's has worked closely with several external partners including the charity Family Action and its HeadStart programme, supporting more than 200 young people into employment.
Additionally in 2020, aside to job placements these partnerships have impacted 1,291 young people's lives through employability workshops; training; and a number of support and career discovery days.
The group has ambitions to create in the region of 500 new job placements across the business through Family Action’s HeadStart programme, as well as other partnerships it has with Springboard, Remit, The Forward Trust and The Shaw Trust.
It says these opportunities will pick back up in due course when the job landscape is a little clearer regarding Covid-19, and Nando’s hopes to be able to increase the number of job placements year on year.
In the short term, it adds, there will be a stronger focus not just job outcomes but also work experience opportunities and mentoring for young people across the Nando’s business.
