3 stories of businesses doing good this week

It's that time of the week again: we're back sharing stories about the companies who have stood out to us in the past week, by shining a light on purpose over profit.

Ahead of the summer holidays, it's so brilliant to see restaurants and supermarket cafes stepping up and offering free or reduced meals to children to help those families who are struggling financially. You can see a selection of them below.

As always, we'd love to remind you that we publish a daily source of positive news on Smiley News – featuring companies, as well as individuals who are going above and beyond to support others in our world. You can sign up to our weekly newsletter here.

Without further ado, let's get to it!

Free or reduced meals for kids this summer

There are tonnes of restaurants and supermarket cafes offering free or reduced meals for kids this summer. With the cost of living crisis, many families are struggling financially – so every bit of support helps. Asda, for example, is letting kids eat for £1 in their cafes, while Whitbread pubs is offering free breakfast to kids. Morrisons, Bella Italia, Yo! Sushi, and Sizzling pubs are also included. Find out who else is supporting parents.

M&S trials refillable own brand homecare

Marks & Spencer is trialling their own brand of refillable homewares, which will include laundry and cleaning products that can be refilled. ‘M&S Refillable’ will include eight pre-filled products, created by M&S, including laundry detergent, washing up liquids, fabric conditioners and more. Initially, the refillable homewares will be available in two stores: Bluewater and Stevenage. Read more about the trial.

A brilliant nature project to reduce flooding

... and it's all thanks to Triodos Bank UK! A new project has launched to help reduce flood risks to communities in Lancashire – protecting our land and the people on it. It's the first of its kind Natural Flood Management (NFM) project, which has a £1.5 million investment from Triodos Bank UK, a sustainable bank from the UK that says its mission is “to make money work for positive change”. Read more about the partnership.

Become part of our movement for positive change:

 ➡️ Read a daily dose of positive news, spotlighting people, charities and organisations giving back. Take me there.

➡️ Listen to Defiant Optimism, our inspirational podcast sharing powerful conversations with everyday heroes raising money for charity. Listen here.

➡️ Watch Smiley News stories through film; browse our videos that champion charitable causes and ways to give back. Watch here.

🙂 Want to share your good news story? Email our editorial team at editorial@smileymovement.org – they're looking forward to hearing from you!