Pennies
At OurCoop, we're committed to making a positive difference in the places where our members live, work and shop. Pennies makes it easy to give a little every time you shop with us. When you pay by card or phone at the till, you can round up or add a few pence to your shop as a donation to charity.
Members and customers across OurCoop have now given more than £500,000 through Pennies, supporting our national charity partner, Samaritans, as well as other charities and funds.
£500,000+
donated through Pennies at our tills
£400,000+
raised for our charity partner, Samaritans
200+
Samaritans branches across the UK and Ireland
Who are Pennies?
Pennies is a charity that partners with other charities across the UK, Ireland and beyond, to facilitate micro donations at pay points in retailers and other businesses.
This enables members of the public to make a small donation or payment top-up at tills. These all add together to give many charities a sizable donation that they may not have received otherwise.
The 10% of the donation that Pennies receives is invested in the technology that allows charities of all sizes to improve the card payment technology and to work with the businesses to improve donation levels and communicate the impact of these micro-donations.
Donating a few pence to charity when paying by card or mobile wallet is as simple as a single press of a button.
In five of our Cheltenham stores (Church St, Charlton Kings, Montpelier, Salisbury Avenue & Hesters Way) we will be supporting the Cheltenham Open Door Charity through customer donations made via Pennies. Every penny you give goes to charity - with 90% going to Cheltenham Open Door (registered charity no. 1063434) and 10% to Pennies (registered charity no. 1122489).
Since the success of this initiative, we’ve started rolling it to the rest of our FoodCoop stores, where 90% donations will support the Midcounties Co-operative Community Fund (registered charity no. 1143181) known as the “Doing Good Together Fund” and 10% to Pennies (registered charity no. 1122489).
So far, £500,000+ donated through Pennies at our tills and £400,000+ raised for our charity partner, Samaritans.
Doing good together fund
Our Doing Good Together Fund provides small grants to community causes in need of support. From dinner and dance for dementia to plants for parks, or biscuits for book clubs to kits for cricket teams and more, our Doing Good Together Fund can help.
By donating at the checkout, you help support local charities and good causes that make a positive impact in your community.
Our charity partner: Samaritans
Samaritans is our national charity partner, chosen after a search involving hundreds of charity applicants and almost 17,000 member votes. Our members told us mental health support was a priority, and we listened.
Every 10 seconds, a Samaritans volunteer answers a call for help. With more than 200 branches across the UK and Ireland, Samaritans relies on public donations and around 23,000 volunteers to be there for anyone struggling to cope, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
More than £400,000 raised through Pennies has gone to Samaritans. It helps them provide free, round-the-clock emotional support, recruit and train volunteers, and support local branches across the UK and Ireland.
According to Pennies, just seven minutes of micro-donations from OurCoop customers could help make sure a Samaritans volunteer is there to answer a call from someone struggling to cope.
If you're struggling, Samaritans are there to listen, day or night. Call free on 116 123 or visit samaritans.org to find your nearest branch.
