Lidl to open toy banks to help struggling families this Christmas

Lidl will be accepting toy donations for struggling families in the lead-up to Christmas, as part of its new nationwide toy bank initiative.

Amid the ongoing cost of living crisis, Lidl has announced a new toy bank initiative to help families struggling with costs this Christmas.

As families consider how to save money, especially on their food shop and energy bill,  Lidl hopes to alleviate some stress in the lead-up to Christmas, by opening 950 toy banks in stores nationwide. The banks will allow members of the public to donate toys, large or small to families in need.

In partnership with Neighbourly, the toy drives will be open from November 3rd until December 16th for donations of new and unopened toys - which can be ‘anything from stocking fillers to something bigger.’ Though the supermarket has outlined some sought-after items which include; toys, games, books, puzzles, and arts and crafts, for a range of ages.

Lidl has also announced that it will be donating £250,000 to charities over the festive months (£125k of which will go to the toy bank initiative), as well as pledging over one million meals to local charities and community groups across the county. This comes after the supermarket chain launched a new food label to help low-income families.

Speaking on the new toy bank project, Ryan McDonnell, Chief Executive Officer at Lidl GB said, “This year, we wanted to find a meaningful way to help these communities - and so we listened to the 1,500 local charities, food banks and community groups we partner with and heard clearly what they needed: food, toys, and access to funds.

“As a business, we are proud to be able to address all three needs. We are launching toy banks in all our stores, pledging 1m meals and we will be making £250k available for charities through a Neighbourly donation and our community fund.”

He continued, “Our hope is that by rolling out the toy donation points we are making it easier, for those customers who can, to donate directly to local good causes by giving them a small way to make a real difference and help those that need it the most.”

Steve Butterworth, CEO of Neighbourly, also added: "Our latest community survey has highlighted the financial strain that many families are facing this winter. With local charities seeing a drop in both food and financial donations, any support that Lidl customers can give is going to be critical. 

"For many families, Christmas gifts will be something they will struggle to afford, so a scheme like this which alleviates some of the worry for parents will make a huge difference.”