MAKING A DIFFERENCE
GENEROUS SHOPPERS DONATE NEARLY 21,000 MEALS TO THOSE IN NEED
THOUSANDS of meals were donated to those who needed them most this Christmas thanks to the kind-hearted people of Coventry.
Generous shoppers in the city donated more than 20,900 meals for food charities FareShare and The Trussell Trust during the Tesco Food Collection, which ran in stores from November 29 to December 1.
The donated food is given in emergency food parcels those who cannot afford to feed themselves and their families over the festive period, as well as to vulnerable groups such as isolated older people and those in homeless shelters.
Tesco also agreed to top up the value of the customer donations by 20 per cent.
The donations in Coventry helped take this year’s UK-wide total to 3.5 million meals and the overall total given by shoppers since the Tesco Food Collection scheme began in 2012 is now more than 52 million.
Lindsay Boswell, CEO at FareShare, said: “The food donated at the Tesco Food Collection will make a tremendous difference to the thousands of charities and community groups that FareShare supports.
“These groups are doing amazing work with some of the most vulnerable people in our community. Thanks to the generosity of Tesco shoppers over the festive season, we have enough long-life food to provide meals to those helping people in need across the UK.
“We’d like to thank everyone who donated, as well as all the volunteers who made the store collections such a success.”
Emma Revie, chief executive at The Trussell Trust, added: “Our foodbank network has spent the last month making sure that people referred to them with no money for food don’t go hungry this Christmas.
“This work has been made possible thanks to the incredible generosity of Tesco customers, store colleagues and volunteers during the Food Collection.
“Thank you for your support – your generosity has stopped hunger this Christmas.”
Tesco’s UK CEO, Jason Tarry, said: “Year upon year we are taken aback by the generosity of customers who give to the Tesco Food Collection in our stores the length and breadth of the UK.
“We know that this annual collection makes a real difference to the charities we work with, and I would like to thank everyone who has donated, volunteered or helped in store.”