Zizzi Ristorante Customers make a million micro-donations via Pennies to charity raising £200,000

Zizzi’s customers have shown that they are all heart by adding an extra 20p to their bill for charity, a cool one million times, via Pennies, the electronic charity box. The Italian food fans’ donations have totaled £200,000 since the scheme was introduced, with that money already making a difference to main beneficiary, youth charity, The Prince’s Trust.

The money raised has helped The Prince’s Trust transform the lives of disadvantaged young people across the UK.

Many of the young people helped by The Prince’s Trust are in or leaving care, facing issues such as homelessness or mental health problems, or they have been in trouble with the law. The Trust’s programmes give vulnerable young people the practical and financial support needed to stabilise their lives, helping develop self-esteem and skills for work. Three in four young people supported by The Prince’s Trust move into work, education or training.

Zizzi was the first restaurant to introduce Pennies, giving their customers the opportunity to join in with the company’s fundraising activities. Pennies, the electronic charity box, is designed to make giving to charity easy, quick and affordable. With one touch of a button diners can add an extra 20p to their bill when they pay by card.

Jo Fawcett, Marketing Director of Zizzi said: “We’re pleased to have found a way to make it easy to donate to fantastic causes, and thank customers across our restaurants for their generosity. We look forward to the next million donations.”

Alison Hutchinson, CEO for Pennies said: “We’ve been overwhelmed by the generosity of Zizzi’s customers, a million thank-yous to all those who have donated. These pennies really do add up, providing much needed funds for charity and ultimately making a huge difference to people’s lives.”

To date Pennies has raised more than £1,700,000 for over 75 different charities. As well as Zizzi, Pennies is available in a range of other retailers including Domino’s Pizza, Travelodge, The Entertainer and Gieves & Hawkes.