Nisa’s registered charity, Making a Difference Locally has now reached the £12 million mark of their fundraising target last month.
Since the charity’s formation in 2008, just over £12.04 million has been raised for local communities, with just over £1 million raised during the last 12 months alone.
Nisa partners have supported local causes with more than 14,500 donations to date, with recipients ranging from foodbanks, hospices and refuges to youth sports teams and community groups.
Making a Difference Locally (MADL) raises funds in Nisa partner stores from sales of all Co-op and Heritage own-label products.
A percentage of which goes into a virtual fund for retailers to donate locally, and additional funds can also be raised via in-store collecting tins.
Nisa’s head of charity, Kate Carroll, said: “We are thrilled that our retailers and their customers have helped to raise more than £12 million over the last 12 years for thousands of very deserving charities and good causes across the UK and Ireland.
“The way the charity is funded meant that as own label sales saw a significant increase at the start of the pandemic, so too did our charity’s income, enabling Nisa partners to provide even more support to their local communities at a time when it was so desperately needed.
“The additional funding has seen our retailers quickly responding to the needs of local causes that needed it the most and it’s just one of the many ways in which independent retailers add value to their local community.
Over 2,300 stores are participating in the Making a Difference Locally initiative.
For more information about the charity visit www.nisalocally.co.uk/community or follow @MADLCharity on Facebook or Twitter