Iceland Foods is celebrating a milestone in its “first of its kind” charity tie-up with suicide prevention charity Campaign Against Living Miserably (Calm).
The Iceland Foods Charitable Foundation (IFCF) has amassed over £1.4m for the organisation over its two-year partnership.
The money was raised through fundraising, awareness campaigns in and out of store, as well as a £300,000 donation straight to Calm.
The cash helped to fund the launch of Calm’s support helpline, alongside the creation of its free “care kit”, mental health first-aid course.
The supermarket has also strove to “break the stigma” of talking about mental health by raising awareness in its shops, launching its PoS and messages to stores in February 2024, directing customers to Calm’s mental health support services under its #breaktheice campaign.
Additionally, Iceland helped to fund the charity’s “missed birthdays” campaign, which spotlighted the impact of youth suicide.
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On 7 September, 30 Iceland staff members are set to participate in the Great North Run in Newcastle, to raise further funds before World Suicide Prevention Day on 10 September.
Iceland Foods CEO Tarsem Dhaliwal said: “Suicide is one of the greatest public health challenges of our time, and at IFCF we are determined to play our part in changing that.
“Our partnership with Calm is about more than raising money – it’s about raising awareness, breaking down stigma, and giving people the confidence to have crucial discussions with their families and friends.”
Iceland joins Aldi in raising money for charity, with the German discounter gifting Teenage Cancer Trust £350k of its apprenticeship levy in August.
Dobbies also recently launched a new charity bulb collection that aims to raise £10,000 for its national charity partner, Alzheimer’s Research UK.