British parcel company Yodel has joined an alliance of businesses, including Tesco and Absolute Taste, to form the SalutetheNHS.org initiative which aims to feed thousands of critical NHS workers free of charge over the next three months starting from today.
The goal is to serve 1 million meals to key frontline NHS workers over the next three months, both those working in hospitals and others who are infected and self-isolating at home.
The nutritious and ready to eat meals will be made available free of charge to ICU teams, anaesthetic teams and A&E staff, who are unable to leave their clinical areas during their 12 hour shifts, which is the protocol being adopted by all COVID-19 designated hospitals. This service enables them to stay close to wards at all times without having to change out of protective clothing.
SalutetheNHS.org has been launched by one of Britain’s best-known businessmen, Ron Dennis. The initiative has brought together a group of leading food, logistics, packaging and other specialists, and has mobilised a largescale, professional operation.
Mike Hancox, Chief Executive at Yodel said: “We’re doing everything we can to keep the country moving during this unprecedented time and our colleagues across the business feel honoured to be able to support such a worthy cause. We are tremendously grateful for everything that the NHS is doing, and it is a privilege to be able to support workers.
“Producing and distributing meals to the NHS frontline will require careful planning and a collaborative effort from all the partners involved, and we’re confident we have the right team in place to do it.”
SalutetheNHS.org plans to begin delivering the free meals from today (Monday April 6), starting at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford. The following week deliveries will start at Great Ormond Street, the London children’s hospital, and from there the programme will roll out to Government targeted locations across the country.
The meals will be made using food and ingredients supplied by Tesco and prepared by Absolute Taste, which is lending a significant part of its food production capacity to this effort. The meals will comprise of a series of ‘Boost Packs’ intended for critical frontline NHS staff to eat either during their shift or to take home at the end of a long day. There are also Home Packs, which will be delivered to vital NHS frontline staff who are infected and self-isolating at home.
The Dennis family is donating £1 million to seed fund the initiative through their Dreamchasing Foundation, which is a charity, alongside £500,000 in match-funding. The Taylor Family Foundation has been the first to contribute to the match-fund with £50,000. They have been supported by Absolute Taste, one of Britain’s largest catering groups with its state-of-the-art kitchen in Bicester, Oxfordshire, while logistic support is being provided by Yodel. Tesco will donate all the food and ingredients for the one million meals.
