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To: Asda

Asda should reinstate charity and food bank collections

UPDATE: 26.2.16. ASDA has reinstated all of its charity collection points in all of its stores.

Asda has removed all charity collections points from its stores nationwide with little explanation. These allowed customers to donate food to various charities on their way out of store. Some food banks receive approximately 25% of their donations via Asda and many local charities, including those collecting for animals, are also affected.

Asda should immediately reverse their decision and reinstate the facility.

Why is this important?

Many animal charities and food banks rely on these generous donations from the public and will struggle without them. Asda provided an essential and welcome service for the community.

'In Frome, Somerset, the food bank run by the charity Fair Frome was notified of the end of in-store food collections last week. “ He put the proportion of food his charity had received from the Asda collections at 25%.

Food banks are not the only charities affected. In St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex, representatives of a charity that helps stray cats called Cat Call were recently told that a box for donated cat food, as well as a collecting box for cash contributions, would have to be removed from a local Asda, along with several other collection points for local charities.

The Cat Call collection point had been in the store for about two years, and provided 85% of the charity’s cat food, distributed to people who temporarily provide a home for stray cats, but may not be able to afford to feed them.' John Harris The Guardian 17.2.2016

Reasons for signing

  • Because I believe in animal charities and food banks.
  • Our country is already scraping along as it is and food banks are desperately needed since the government can't look after it's own country and many people have to starve and go without but that's government for you!! (Only capable of looking after themselves).
  • Appalling and disgraceful behaviour from a company that makes so much profit.


2017-09-27 23:12:28 +0100

Petition is successful with 90,900 signatures

2017-03-22 03:42:37 +0000

Petition is successful with 90,897 signatures

2017-03-14 01:57:15 +0000

Petition is successful with 90,899 signatures

2017-02-26 23:30:52 +0000

Petition is successful with 90,898 signatures

2017-02-09 15:19:35 +0000

Petition is successful with 90,892 signatures

2017-01-11 13:42:07 +0000

Petition is successful with 90,893 signatures

2016-12-25 16:09:58 +0000

Petition is successful with 90,894 signatures

2016-11-18 10:42:37 +0000

Petition is successful with 90,888 signatures

2016-09-13 14:00:10 +0100

Petition is successful with 90,881 signatures

2016-08-13 21:50:07 +0100

Petition is successful with 90,872 signatures

2016-06-13 22:34:36 +0100

Petition is successful with 90,848 signatures

2016-05-12 17:08:05 +0100

Petition is successful with 90,829 signatures

2016-03-18 16:44:43 +0000

Petition is successful with 90,460 signatures

2016-02-29 12:28:27 +0000

Petition is successful with 89,559 signatures

2016-02-27 14:45:12 +0000

Message from Frome Food Bank
'Fair Frome is delighted by the news.It was always a peculiar decision to have made given the benefits for both ASDA and food banks. This now means that we can resume our regular collections and concentrate our volunteer efforts where they are most needed.'

2016-02-27 14:40:56 +0000

Message from Cat Call
Great news, on Friday the Asda store Hastings St Leonard’s On Sea Community Champion called us at Cat Call and invited us to bring our food donation collection box back to the store. There are a few formalities to go through but we hope to have our box back in Asda Hastings within the next week or so.
Huge, huge thank you to all of you for your support, it was your support on and off line, in and around Asda stores, in Hastings, up and down the country that caused Asda to reflect on and reverse their decision.
Cat Call Team and the Cats x

2016-02-25 20:35:03 +0000

Sounds like good news... It looks as if Asda have changed their minds. The Mirror has just broken the news and John Harris (Guardian) is doing a full story that will be online tonight or in the morning. Don't know the full details and any small print as yet but it certainly looks hopeful. Well done everyone.

2016-02-19 20:02:22 +0000

And reason number four given by Asda is...they feel that the boxes must be manned by the charities constantly in order to provide information to the public. Charities could however provide this information in other ways if neccesary, such as a leaflet. However to be honest I think most customers donating understand the term 'local food bank' or the local cat and dog rescue organisations on the boxes. It isn't rocket science. No one would appreciate the feeling of running a gauntlet of volunteers surely! Those who want to donate do. Tesco is currently expanding their charity box scheme with no such conditions in place so this is very much a management decision by Asda as an organisation.

2016-02-19 20:01:17 +0000

Reason number 3 given by Asda. Customers steal from the boxes. Not sure about the extent of this as Asda haven't provided any data or real life examples as yet. It is possible that this may happen occasionally with the odd item but no charity has reported a major stripping of boxes on a regular basis or any sense that it is a major issue. Asking charities to man the boxes for hours is unrealistic for many smaller charities and would eat into valuable volunteer time and resources. No other supermarket who run collection schemes have brought up such issues and asked for such a criteria before allowing boxes into their shops.

2016-02-19 19:59:17 +0000

Someone emailed me and asked what explanations Asda have given so far for their decision. Here is reason two. It is not fair on their other charities. I don't really understand this reasoning. The collection boxes are used by organisations that are specifically in need of foodstuffs for animals and foodbanks. It costs little to provide the service by Asda and so does not eat into their charity funds for other organisations as such to which they can continue donating both food and money if they wish.

2016-02-19 19:57:31 +0000

Someone emailed me and asked what explanations Asda have given so far for their decision. There are lots of them so I'll cover them one at a time as they don't all fit into these boxes at once. First off, they say that they are restructuring how they give to charity. They are giving two million more in cash terms. Great! However local charities connected with food find it very useful to use the collection service in particular, there is currently no clarity as to how, or even whether, small, local charities like those affected will be able to access any extra money,and of course it adds a whole level of bureacracy that local charities are not neccesarily ideally placed to cope with. Local charities, and indeed many customers, seem to value the feeling of a direct link between themselves and the charities concerned and to like the food collection box way of giving to their local community.

2016-02-19 03:23:24 +0000

Asda say they will allow collections but the conditions imposed of volunteers attending the boxes all day are impossible for most of our local charities and food banks. So, a double edged sword and not really of much use.

2016-02-19 01:06:40 +0000

50,000 signatures reached

2016-02-18 19:40:21 +0000

There seems to be some store by store variation being reported despite other stores saying they have no choice as its a UK wide decision. There are reports by some individuals of ringing head office to be told that collections will be put back in place... but a very confused picture from Asda at the moment.

2016-02-18 19:27:00 +0000

20,000 signatures reached

2016-02-18 18:53:09 +0000

10,000 signatures reached

2016-02-18 18:50:33 +0000

Asda say they might allow collections if the boxes were manned at all times by volunteers to prevent theft. It is difficult to see how local cat and dog charities and food banks would manage to do this fully given their size. We are talking very small organisations serving local needs and usually their volunteers are busy actually saving animals and feeding people. I think the theft issue, if a major problem, could easily be solved by having boxes or bins with slots as I've seen in other supermarkets.

2016-02-18 18:36:35 +0000

5,000 signatures reached

2016-02-18 18:16:53 +0000

1,000 signatures reached

2016-02-18 17:29:11 +0000

Asda's current response is that they are revamping and there are collection points somewhere. This contradicts the story in 'The Guardian' and evidence from charities and shoppers. Cat Call... one of the charities mentioned in the Asda petition reported that Asda St Leonard’s On Sea store contacted them and asked them to state that this was not an Asda St Leonard’s On Sea initiative as Asda UK are asking all charities to remove their collecting boxes from all Asda stores across the country.

2016-02-18 16:33:46 +0000

I sign a lot of petitions myself so I know they come thick and fast! This is the first I have ever actually created myself and I am really grateful to everyone who has signed. An amazing reaction that shows how much people do want to support our local charities. Keep sharing please and thank you.

2016-02-18 15:53:37 +0000

500 signatures reached

2016-02-18 09:21:37 +0000

100 signatures reached

2016-02-18 07:47:58 +0000

50 signatures reached

2016-02-18 06:53:00 +0000

25 signatures reached

2016-02-18 03:17:38 +0000

10 signatures reached