Tom Smith celebrates £406,000 Milestone Donation to Trussell

Published by Tom Smith on August 5, 2025

As food banks continue to provide extremely high levels of emergency food to people facing hunger and hardship, Tom Smith is proud to announce that its support for Trussell has now surpassed £406,000 – raised through the sale of our Christmas crackers. The most recent donation of £100,000 reflects our continued commitment to supporting individuals and families facing hardship, while helping to build a future where no one is forced to use a food bank to survive.

Trussell supports a UK-wide community of 1,400 food bank centres, providing emergency food and practical support to people on the lowest incomes. But its work goes far beyond food. Through partnerships and initiatives such as the Help through Hardship helpline (run jointly with Citizens Advice), it connects people with expert advice, debt support and community services to ensure people can access the right support and don’t need to use a food bank again.

Tom Smith – recently welcomed a the Trussell team to present the latest cheque and share insights into the charity’s frontline work and the persistent high level of need for food banks’ support.

Over the last five years, Trussell has seen a 51% increase in the number of parcels given out by food banks in their community. Nearly 2.9 million emergency food parcels were provided by food banks to people facing hardship in 2024-25. This level of need underscores the vital role food banks continue to play in our communities.

Trussell’s mission is underpinned by three clear aims:

Ending hunger today – by providing emergency food, advice and compassionate support.
Ending hunger together – by bringing people, communities and businesses together to drive local change and ensure everyone gets the right help, long before they need a food bank.
Ending hunger forever – by building consensus and driving action on the society-wide changes that will end hunger for good.

As part of its 2025–2030 strategy, Trussell aims to ensure that alongside an inclusive and warm welcome and a three days’ worth of emergency food, everyone who comes to a food bank in the Trussell community will be offered a personalised support package. Tailoring holistic support to each person’s situation changes lives – unlocking the help people should be getting with money, mental health, housing and social security means they’re less likely to need a food bank again. It’s a bold ambition – one we’re proud to support.

Emily Thomas-Hey, Managing Director at IG Design Group UK Ltd, said:
“The cost-of-living crisis continues to affect so many across the UK, and we believe businesses have a responsibility to help drive positive change. Supporting Trussell through Tom Smith is one way we can turn festive moments into something more meaningful. We’re incredibly proud of what this partnership has achieved – and we’re committed to supporting it for many years to come.”

Zoe Pate, Head of Corporate Partnerships at Trussell, said:

“We are so grateful to Design Group UK for standing with Trussell and our community of food banks since 2019. The donations from sale of Tom Smith Christmas Crackers have helped to ensure we can continue to provide emergency food and compassionate support to people facing hunger and hardship. Thank you for your commitment to helping end the need for food banks and helping us to support millions of people when they need it most.”