ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has welcomed the launch of a new £1.5 million fund from GroceryAid to help grocery colleagues deal with the impact of the coronavirus outbreak.
GroceryAid is a national charity offering emotional, financial and practical advice and support on a range of issues for all grocery colleagues and their immediate families.
The new fund aims to provide help to colleagues 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.
ACS 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.”
A poster is available to download here.
Colleagues can also call Grocery Aid’s 24/7 helpline on 08088 021 122
Full details of the Covid-19 Fund are available here https://bit.ly/GACovid19Fund
