HARD-up shoppers can get free meals and cash vouchers to help pay for food – we explain all the help supermarkets are offering.
Supermarkets including Asda, Morrisons and Iceland are offering customers help during the cost of living crisis, as food prices soar.
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Runaway inflation is driving up the price of bills and essentials, and shoppers are facing paying £533 more on their food bills.
We explain all the help on offer from stores – and how to claim it.
Morrisons
Kids can eat for free at Morrisons‘ cafes
They must be under 16 years old, and the parent must buy an adult meal worth £4.99 or more.
A kids meal comes with a piece of fruit and Tropicana kids orange juice, apple drink, or bottle of water.
The free meal must be from the cafe’s kids menu and cannot be used with any other offer.
You can find out where your nearest Morrisons’ cafe is using the supermarket’s store locator tool.
Iceland
Iceland has revealed a number of help schemes for struggling shoppers.
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Around 40,000 pensioners can get free £30 vouchers for food and other essentials.
You only have until September 16 to apply for the vouchers though – so you’ll have to hurry.
The vouchers can be spent in any of 269 Iceland stores in 16 areas across the country.
To claim the voucher, you first must be of pension-age people living independently, or with a carer, and relying solely on state pension and benefits.
Call the Summer Cheer hotline, which is 0800 098 7877, to request a voucher.
The telephone line will be open from 9am – 5pm, Monday to Friday.
Once you have called through to the phoneline and it is decided customers are eligible for a voucher, they will be sent a leaflet in the post with the £30 voucher on it.
It’s not the only help on offer.
In May, Iceland launched a weekly over 60’s 10% discount across all its stores every Tuesday.
Asda
Kids aged 16 or under can eat a meal at Asda’s cafes for £1 until the end of the year.
Children can get a hot or cold meal seven days a week, and there’s no minimum adult spend.
The offer will be available until the end of the year – initially it was only running over the summer.
You can find your nearest Asda cafe using the supermarket’s online store checker.
Sainsbury’s
Sainsbury’s has its ‘feed your family for a fiver’ campaign, which helps customers out with cheap meal ideas.
All the menu suggestions can feed a family of four for less than £5.
It includes meal ideas such as chill con carne, pizza, and kebabs.
Check out the recipes here on Sainsbury’s website.
How else can I get help paying my groceries?
If you’re struggling to put food on the table, you can apply to the Household Support Fund for help.
Around £1.5billion has been dished out to local councils so far to help struggling residents with food, energy and other essentials.
Help varies depending on where you live, but you can get up to £200 in vouchers for food in some places.
You should ask your council what help is on offer – you can find yours using the gov.uk local authority checker.
You can also get help through your local authority’s welfare assistance programme.
Again, the help you can get varies, so it’s best to check with your local authority.
Under this scheme, you can get up to £1,000 to help pay for furniture, bills, food and more.
Parents and mums-to-be can make the most of the Healthy Start scheme.
You can claim vouchers to put towards milk, vegetables and other fridge essentials.
You can get up to £442 worth of free food over the year.
