Pret A Manger baguette campaign to raise £100K for homeless and hungry
Funds will support 75 individuals to rebuild their lives through the Rising Stars programme.
For the first-time ever, Pret A Manger will be donating 20p from the purchase of its best-selling baguettes in efforts to help those in need, especially refugees, ex-offenders, and those experiencing or are at risk of homelessness.
The company is looking to raise over £100K in April and the proceeds will go to The Pret Foundation, a charity centered on alleviating hunger, poverty, and homelessness. In addition to baguette proceeds, a 10p donation will be collected from every soup purchased.
Funds will be used to train and support 75 people to rebuild their lives through The Pret Foundation’s Rising Stars programme over the next 12 months. Participants will have the opportunity to work under Pret A Manger. Training, travel needs, and weekly support groups will be provided to the Rising Stars.
Additionally, 50 new roles will be created solely to assist refugees from Ukraine as part of Pret’s Ukrainian Employment Programme announced in March.
Prior to these, Pret has made initiatives over three decades of operation in helping those in need by ways of nightly food donations, monetary donations for their soups, and Christmas sandwiches.
“The Pret Foundation was created over 25 years ago with the aim to help alleviate poverty, hunger and homelessness nearby Pret shops. What started out as a charitable project for Pret has grown into a registered charity, operating across the world supporting grassroots charities, offering food donations, and in the UK, funding our Rising Stars programme which looks to employee those most in need. Since the start of the pandemic, the industry has reported an increase of over 70% in requests for homelessness support in communities, so it’s clear that more needs to be done, so we are thankful for Pret’s ongoing commitment and support,” said Nina Allard, Global Head of The Pret Foundation.
TikTok content creator sensation Ehiz Ufuah, who is a former homeless drama student, will help raise awareness on matters relating to Pret’s advocacy. With over 10 million followers on TikTok, Ehiz seeks to encourage his followers to be well-informed and be involved in spreading awareness and fighting against homelessness.
“Having lived in emergency accommodation with my mum, without a home, I know how real this problem is. I’m proud to be working with Pret to highlight the rise in poverty and homelessness in the UK and encourage everyone to learn more about the problem and do what you can to help,” said Ehiz Ufuah.
“Ever since we opened our doors, we’ve been focused on helping those most in need. The past two years have been exceptionally difficult, and as a result, homelessness, poverty and hunger are a growing concern. That’s why we’re ramping up our support, looking to take on more refugees and homeless people this year as part of The Pret Foundation’s Rising Stars programme, and why we’re donating from select bestselling baguettes this month. I’m immensely proud that we’re able to help those most in need, when they need it most,” added Guy Meakin, Interim Managing Director of UK&I.
