Industry charity GroceryAid has launched a new £1.5m fund to help grocery colleagues deal with the impact of the coronavirus outbreak.
The GroceryAid Covid-19 Fund will provide enhanced support for workers in three key ways:
- Mental health support - offering ‘in the moment’ emotional and practical support for colleagues dealing with shock, anxiety and stress through BACP trained counsellors, a Health & Wellbeing portal and Woebot, a friendly AI Robot App.
- Bereavement financial assistance - providing financial assistance for the loss of a loved one through Covid-19. Available to grocery colleagues who lose a partner or the immediate family of a colleague who has passed away as a result of Covid-19 whilst working in our industry.
- Crisis grants - for grocery colleagues facing unexpected hardship due to Covid-19.
GroceryAid president Charles Wilson said: “Amid the huge challenge of Covid-19 our trade has done a great job of keeping the nation fed. GroceryAid has raised a special Covid-19 fund to help our industry colleagues at this time of need. The 24/7 Helpline will deal with concerns and assist with financial stress caused by this terrible virus.”
Welcoming the launch of the new fund, Association of Convenience Stores chief executive James Lowman said: “The launch of this new fund builds on the comprehensive support provided by GroceryAid for people that are part of the grocery sector.
“We would encourage any colleagues who have been affected by the Covid-19 outbreak to get in touch with GroceryAid to access the help that has been made available.”
Colleagues can call Grocery Aid’s 24/7 helpline on 08088 021 122 and full details of how to apply for funding can be found here.
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