ICG to run its successful “Million Meals” initiative for a third season

World map showing locations of Million Meals initiative
Supporting charities addressing food poverty and the cost of living crisis

ICG, the global alternative asset manager, today announced a third season of its successful “Million Meals” initiative. Million Meals has provided 2.1 million meals since its inception in November 2022 to people in need due to the cost of living crisis and food poverty. To date, the campaign has provided total funding of £1.1m to eight partner charities around the world, in each of the cities in which ICG has major operations worldwide.

The third season of Million Meals sees the addition of three new partner charities in the UK, and funding at a record level of £650,000. For the third year running, this seasonal campaign will run from November 2024 to April 2025. The charities ICG is partnering with to provide this critical support are:

  • City Harvest (London)
  • City Harvest (New York)
  • European Food Banks Federation (pan-European)
  • Eat Up (Sydney)
  • Food from the Heart (Singapore)
  • OnSide (UK)
  • YWAM (Hong Kong)
  • Glass Door (UK)
  • Meals & More (UK)
  • Feeding Britain (UK)

In addition to providing funding, these charitable partnerships will also offer significant volunteering opportunities to ICG’s 650+ employees worldwide. Last year nearly 150 ICG employees volunteered with Million Meals partner charities. ICG has again committed to double any charitable donations by ICG employees to these charities during the campaign.

The ICG Million Meals Initiative is consistent with ICG’s purpose and values and reflects the expansion of ICG’s social investment strategy globally, and across a wider range of social needs, following the announcement of our flagship £3.75m educational opportunity and social mobility charitable programme in May 2022.

Antje Hensel-Roth
Antje Hensel-Roth

Antje Hensel-Roth, Chief People & External Affairs Officer at ICG, commented:

We are delighted to be continuing our successful Million Meals campaign for a third consecutive year. The initiative provides much needed help to those in need due to food poverty and the cost of living crisis in the communities in which ICG colleagues live and work. Engaging our people in volunteering opportunities and delivering over a million meals around the world through these charitable partnerships is tremendously valuable, and reflects the values and culture of ICG.

For further information please contact:

ICG

Fiona Laffan
T: +44 (0)20 3545 2000
M: +44 (0)7590 524 289
[email protected]

About ICG

ICG provides flexible capital solutions to help companies develop and grow. We are a leading global alternative asset manager with a 35-year history, managing $101bn of assets* and investing across the capital structure. We operate across four asset classes: Structured and Private Equity, Private Debt, Real Assets, and Credit.

ICG develops long-term relationships with its business partners to deliver value for shareholders, clients and employees, and uses its position of influence to benefit the environment and society. ICG is committed to being a net zero asset manager across our operations and relevant investments by 2040.

ICG is a member of the FTSE 100 and listed on the London Stock Exchange (ticker symbol: ICG). Further details are available at www.icgam.com. You can follow ICG on LinkedIn and Instagram.

* Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results; as at 30 June 2024

About City Harvest London

Est. 2014, City Harvest London rescues nutritious surplus food from manufacturers, suppliers, producers and retailers, and delivers, for free, to 375+ London charities feeding those facing food poverty. City Harvest rescues food, people, and planet by preventing food waste, providing life-changing support to communities in every London borough through food, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions from waste.

City Harvest believes in the right to food and is passionate that, in this day and age, every child should have access to fresh nutritious food to thrive and not simply survive. City Harvest is a supporter of the Free School Meals campaign. We want to ensure no child goes hungry and we encourage food partners to use our networks to make a huge difference. By delivering to food banks, community centres and school programmes we try to make sure we help fill the gaps all year round.

City Harvest vans equally deliver to homeless shelters, hostels, soup kitchens, mental health charities,  projects supporting the elderly and socially isolated, social pantries, community kitchens, refugee hostels, nurseries, family centres and domestic abuse refuges. 

City Harvest tripled in size in 2020 to meet the demand of people facing food poverty. Now distributing free food for more than 1.2 million meals a month the need continues to rise as the cost of living tightens its grip.

https://www.cityharvest.org.uk

About City Harvest NY

City Harvest is New York’s first and largest food rescue organization, helping to feed millions of New Yorkers who struggle to put meals on their tables. During our 40 years serving New Yorkers in need, we have rescued more than one billion pounds of fresh, nutritious food and delivered it—free of charge—to hundreds of food pantries, soup kitchens, community partners, and our own Mobile Markets® across the five boroughs.

This year, we will rescue and distribute more than 75 million pounds of nutritious food to our neighbors in need. City Harvest works alongside our community partners to boost community capacity, expand nutrition education, and strengthen local food systems. Since our founding in 1982, City Harvest has always been there to feed our city—one day, one meal, one New Yorker at a time. To learn more, please visit cityharvest.org.

https://www.cityharvest.org/

About European Food Banks Federation

Established in 1986, the European Food Banks Federation (FEBA) is a European non-profit organisation based in Brussels and works in collaboration with 24 Full Members and 6 Associate Members in European countries, bringing together more than 300 Food Banks. FEBA represents its membership at European and international level; supports and strengthens Food Banks in Europe by providing training, sharing best practice and knowledge, building expertise, and ensuring efficiency, and developing partnerships with corporations, foundations, and other organisations; and fosters the development and creation of Food Banks where they are most needed. 

https://www.eurofoodbank.org/

About Eat Up, Sydney

​Eat Up is Australia’s only organisation providing free lunches to students on a national scale. To date, we have provided over 3.7 million lunches to Aussie kids in need! With the help of our partners and dedicated volunteers, each week, Eat Up makes and delivers over 30,000 lunches directly to schools for vulnerable children.

https://www.eatup.org.au

About Food From The Heart, Singapore

Food from the Heart is a charity founded in February 2003 by Singapore-based Austrian couple Henry and Christine Laimer, who were inspired to channel surplus food from bakeries to families in need after they read an article about bread wastage.

Today, Food from the Heart is one of Singapore’s foremost independent food charity with IPC status devoted to alleviating hunger through efficient distribution of food in a sustainable manner; and making a significant impact in food waste reduction. Food from the Heart helps thousands of lives each year by garnering support from sponsors, donors and volunteers to fight hunger through its five core programmes: Bread Run, Community Food Pack, Project Belanja!, School Goodie Bag, and Market Place.

With the support of donors, food industry partners and more than 10,000 volunteers, Food from the Heart made a difference to the lives of more than 59,500 people throughout Singapore, distributing S$7.22 million worth of food in 2021.

https://www.foodfromtheheart.sg

About OnSide

It’s about opportunity.

Potential is everywhere. But while some young people get every opportunity to explore theirs, others don’t. OnSide is a national charity determined to make sure that all young people have the opportunity to shine. The chance to discover their passion and their purpose.  OnSide funds, builds, launches and supports a network of state-of-the-art, multimillion-pound Youth Zones in the UK’s most disadvantaged areas.

These are incredible spaces filled with energy, inspiration and highly skilled youth workers who truly believe in young people. This is passionate, properly-funded youth provision. A unique partnership between young people and their community, local authorities and private business leadership, and a growing movement of supporters who together believe that all young people need is a chance to discover what they’ve got and where it could take them.

https://www.onsideyouthzones.org/

About YWAM

YWAM Tuen Mun is a charity organization in Hong Kong that is dedicated to serving the local community and empowering the marginalized through a food bank and interactive community programs. YWAM Tuen Mun’s food bank partners with over 100 organizations to distribute food and goods to individuals and families in need, feeding over 14,400 people per month. YWAM Tuen Mun’s social integration programs not only provide essential sustenance through “Blessing Bags,” but also foster connection and community among those in need. YWAM Tuen Mun is one of the few charities in the city serving the unnoticed cardboard collectors, providing hot meals and kits designed specifically to support them in their work. Through their poverty awareness programs, YWAM Tuen Mun aims to educate and engage the community, raising awareness about the challenges faced by the marginalized and underserved to move people to compassionate action. The unwavering belief that drives YWAM Tuen Mun is that every life is valuable and deserving of love and care.

https://www.ywamhongkong.org

About Glass Door

Glass Door Homeless Charity provides vital support to individuals experiencing homelessness through shelter, advice, and advocacy. We offer safe, emergency accommodation and work closely with partner organisations in order to provide a year-round Casework service. This supports people in finding a permanent route out of homelessness.

https://www.glassdoor.org.uk

About Meals & More

Meals & More aims to tackle holiday hunger and provide holiday provision to avoid social isolation affecting children for whom there is inadequate food provision during school holidays. We work with delivery partners and industry supporters to provide funding and stability to allow holiday clubs across the UK to offer nutritious food and social activities for the children who attend. 

Meals & More has also funded research to evaluate the impact of holiday provision on the health, social and economic well-being and academic attainment of the children attending as well as the longer-term educational outcomes for children living in food poverty and the bearing that holiday club meal provision can have on these outcomes.

https://www.mealsandmore.co.uk

About Feeding Britain

Feeding Britain is an award-winning charity with a vision of a UK where no one goes hungry. We support a national network of 116 regional and local anti-hunger partnerships comprising more than 700 frontline organisations – ranging from community centres and schools, to local authorities and social enterprises.

By piloting innovative and effective new projects, and showing how severe or chronic food insecurity can be prevented, we are designing a road map for eliminating hunger from the communities we serve. By sharing this knowledge with others, and using it to work for systemic changes at a national level, we will ensure hunger becomes a thing of the past.

httsp://feedingbritain.org/