Sir Stelios expands food programme to UK with £1 million donation
Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou is the owner and creator of the easy family of brands © Stelios foundation
Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou’s Foundation extends its established Mediterranean food distribution network to British food banks through partnership with Trussell.
Monaco resident Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou has announced the expansion of his foundation’s “Food From the Heart” programme to the United Kingdom, marking the first extension beyond its original Mediterranean operations. The Stelios Philanthropic Foundation has committed over £1 million in food donations to the Trussell community of food banks, which operates more than 1,400 locations across the UK.
The programme, established in 2013, currently operates from 12 distribution points in Cyprus and Greece, having distributed 42 million food items to date. The UK expansion addresses documented food insecurity affecting 9.3 million people across Britain, including 3 million children, according to Trussell’s research.
The donation will provide cans of chilli con carne purchased from Kiril Mischeff Limited under the Rodina brand, distributed through Trussell’s partner Food and Community Trust to over 50 food banks nationwide. Each can, valued at approximately £2 retail, will be co-branded with logos from the Stelios Foundation, Trussell, and Rodina.
Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou said: “I am pleased to expand our Food From the Heart programme to the UK and begin our partnership with Trussell to support food banks across the country. The programme has helped the neediest in society in Cyprus and Greece for the last 12 years, and I look forward to working with Trussell to help more people who need this in the UK.”
Emma Revie, Chief Executive of Trussell Trust, acknowledged the partnership: “We are really grateful to the Stelios Foundation for supporting Trussell and our community of food banks. Food bank teams are working tirelessly to help people unable to afford the essentials and thanks to the generosity of partners like the Stelios Foundation, they can continue to provide vital emergency support in their communities.”
Established charitable portfolio
The food bank initiative represents one component of Sir Stelios’s diversified philanthropic activities. His foundation operates across four primary regions where he has lived and worked: the UK, Greece, Cyprus, and Monaco. Current programmes include £300,000 in annual awards for young British entrepreneurs, £200,000 in prizes for disabled entrepreneurs through partnership with Leonard Cheshire, and bi-communal awards promoting Greek and Turkish Cypriot business cooperation.
In Monaco, the foundation maintains a conference hall available to non-profit organizations and has supported various local initiatives, including donations to homeless services and environmental conservation efforts. Recent activities include a €100,000 donation to the Fondation du Patrimoine for restoration of the Chapelle de la Madone in Menton and hosting charity dinners that have raised significant funds for WWF and the Prince Albert II Foundation.